My Life Would Suck Without You
by Permanent Rose
Summary: Will has moved in with Emma, and Quinn has moved in with Puck. The new guidance counselor is hitting on Will, and the new Cheerio coach might possibly be more heinous than Sue. And to make matters worse, the Glee Club is facing problems of their own.
1. Chapter I

_A/N: Hey everyone, this is my first multi-chapter Glee fic. Basically, it will focus on mostly Will/Emma, but I also plan to have some Finn/Rachel, and some minor Puck/Quinn. And maybe even some Artie/Tina. _

_This is my take on what happens after sectionals. I hope you enjoy. Oh, and as I write this story, I might ask you guys for some help with ideas, so feel free to suggest anything you think might happen in Season 2!_

* * *

He couldn't bear to look at her empty, forlorn desk, though he found himself passing the abandoned office every free moment he had.

_Don't torture yourself, _Will scolded himself, resting his hand on the polished door knob. Instinctively, he reached into his pocket to pull out a Kleenex to wipe his finger prints from the knob. Emma would've appreciated it.

He sighed, grimacing at the bitter irony of the situation. He thought back to the song from sectionals. _You can't always get what you want. _It seemed to be the story of Will's life.

It had only been ten days since Emma had left. Will felt guilty for counting, considering that he could only give a rough estimate of the days that had passed since that fateful fight with Terri.

Will glanced up at the clock that hung on the opposite wall of the hallway, realizing he was late for Glee practice. Even so, he made no move to hasten his footsteps as he sighed heavily, trudging down the dismal corridor.

***

"Mr. Schue just hasn't been himself recently," Rachel pondered aloud as she glanced at the clock in the chorus room. He was already over five minutes late—and Mr. Schuester was hardly ever late for Glee.

"It's all because Miss Pillsbury left," Mercedes stated the obvious, collapsing heavily in one of the nearby chair.

Beside her, Kurt ran his fingers through his hair, as he refrained from commenting. He had nothing pleasant to say about Mr. Schuester. He had long since learnt to deal with heartache and disappointment, and he felt that putting his heart into something he truly loved was the best way to distract himself from those creeping feelings. Mr. Schuester was moping like pathetic girl.

"Why did she leave anyway?" Tina wondered, sitting down in the seat next to Artie's wheelchair, trying to push away the feeling of rejection as Artie wheeled himself to the other side of the room.

"Isn't it obvious?" Quinn hissed, and everyone fell silent at once. Quinn hardly spoke at all these days. She spent the better half of her time with her head hung down in silence, intently twisting the chastity ring she still wore on her fourth finger. "It's not easy to be around the person you've hurt and see the damage you've done."

She dared to look up to catch Finn's gaze, but he was purposely turned away, a hard, stone expression creasing his brow. Hardly anyone bothered Finn these days. They considered it a small miracle that he was even back in the club in the first place, and if he were having a particularly bad day and decided to miss rehearsal or sit out for a song, no one gave him any grief.

So everyone was surprised when Finn added his input as well. "Yeah, Coach Tanaka's been pretty out of it too. Can't say I blame either of them…Mr. Schue or Coach. I know how they feel…"

Quinn let out a small sob, and Puck lifted his head immediately in concern, but he knew that it was best to leave it unvoiced. For once in his life, even Puckerman was respecting someone else's wishes, and he had been oddly laid back and silent during the past week as well.

As Will entered the room, he was greeted by the glum faces of his students that mirrored his own expression. Even Rachel, who always managed to at least fake a smile in all necessary situations, looked like she could hardly hold herself together due to the heavy tension that gripped the room.

"Mr. Schue," she began, lifting her chin high as she approached him. "While we were waiting, we all decided that maybe it wouldn't be best to have Glee practice today. None of us are really up to it."

Only Kurt seemed upset as Will nodded in agreement, dismissing the students from the room.

It was only after they all left that Will realized he had absolutely nothing to do with himself.

***

Will was ashamed to admit he was still living in his office, sleeping on the same opened mattress that had gotten him banned from sectionals. It was hard not to have a place to go home to or even an adequate place to cook a meal.

He sighed as he fell back onto the mattress, which was still as bare as the day he had opened it. He fell back against springy surface, a silent tear falling down his cheek as he bit his lip to prevent any more from following.

Will Schuester was lonely.

Before he could wallow in self pity any longer, he grabbed his cell phone, fumbling with the buttons before he could stop himself.

It rang once.

Then twice.

Three times.

Four.

Emma's chipper voice filled his ear as the answering machine received his call. "Hi, it's Emma, and I'm obviously not available right now, but I will get back to you as soon as I can!"

He almost hung up before the faint beep rang, but it blared softly before he had time to make up his mind.

"Hey Emma, it's Will, and, uh—" He was cut off as Emma answered the phone.

"Will."

His heart melted at the simple sound of her voice, and he smiled for the first time in days.

"Hey, Emma," he replied, trying to sound as enthusiastic as he could. He did not want to let her know he was suffering.

"So what can I do for you?" Emma asked him. He could hear her breath beating softly into the receiver, and he wanted nothing for than to feel that hot breath on his own lips.

Will was about to come up with a lie, but he sighed, his voice cracking as he told her the truth. "I just wanted to hear your voice…"

Silence.

Only her heavy breathing.

"I wanted to hear yours, too," she finally admitted, and Will gripped he cell phone tighter.

"It feels like forever since I've last seen you," Will stated, pushing back the tears the edged his voice.

"It does feel like it's been a while," Emma muttered. "Almost eleven days." Will's heart skippped a beat when he realized she'd been counting as well. "Why don't you come over to my apartment for a bit?" Her breath caught as soon as he heard the words, and he wasn't sure if she regretted her hastily invite or not.

"Really?" he muttered, his stomach flipping, and he quickly added, "I'd love that."

He could practically hear Emma smiling through the phone. "I guess I'll see you soon then," she whispered.

"Yeah," he whispered back.

Will brushed through his curly hair with his fingers, and smoothed out the wrinkles from his outfit.

For the first time in nearly eleven days, Will had something to hope to hope for.


	2. Chapter II

_A/N: Thanks so much for reading. I especially want to thank the people who took the time to review. _

_Oh, and to all of you who starting reading yesterday, I played around with the phone conversation between Will and Emma in the previous chapter. I didn't change anything major, but you might want to skim the ending quickly before reading this chapter. _

_I hope you enjoy!_

_

* * *

_

Quinn sighed as she unpacked her meager possessions once again. She looked around the tiny room. The pale walls were empty, and the only decoration in the entire room was a worn Torah rested on the nightstand in the corner.

She hadn't wanted to move in with Puck, but she knew it was now her only option. And of course she knew Puck would go for it—even though she did feel slightly guilty for taking advantage of him. She had no plans of _anything _(well, anything more than this godforsaken child that resided in her womb) happening between them.

Finn had not kicked her out. Finn's mother had not allowed it. Even though her heart ached for her betrayed son, she understood Quinn's hopeless predicament and could not bear to throw her out on the streets to fend for herself. Mrs. Hudson was such a compassionate woman, and Quinn promised she would someday repay her for her kindness.

Quinn had left the Hudson residence on her own accord, seeing the pain she was causing Finn. He already had to deal with her and Puck at school and Glee practice, and even though football season was over, training with the team still continued so Finn saw Puck after school nearly everday. Quinn knew it was torture for him to come home every day just to have her be there to cause him more pain.

"Hey, you getting settled in okay?"

Quinn jumped at the sound of the voice, turning to see Puck leaning on the door frame. His soft brown eyes were fully of admiration and genuine concern, and Quinn had to turn away before she started feeling sorry for him. He was half of the reason she was in this mess, and as soon as she figured out another place she could stay, she would leave Puck completely behind in the dust.

"Everything's fine, thank you," she told him as pleasantly as she could manage. "Tell your mom I say thanks for letting me stay."

Puck nodded. They both knew that Puck's mother was less than pleased at the circumstances. She hadn't any clue about Quinn's pregnancy and the fact that Puck was about to be a father, and though she had soon expected something of the sort from her son, she was still shocked nonetheless. Having discovered this and having Quinn move in all during the same day was throwing her off her rocker.

"I think I'm going to take a nap now," Quinn told him, her hand resting softly on her rounded stomach. Pregnancy was already tiring enough, and with all this new stress on top of it all, Quinn hardly knew how she was managing to function.

Puck nodded. "If you need anything, just let me know." He quietly shut the door as Quinn curled up on the faded comforter of the bed.

Once he was gone, Quinn whispered into the silence. "Here's something I need: a new life."

She allowed her hot tears to stream down her cheeks as she drifted off into oblivion

***

Will turned on the radio as he drove out of McKinley High's parking to go to Emma's apartment. He chuckled when he realized what song was playing. _My Life Would Suck Without You. _

It reminded him of this kiss he had shared with Emma days prior, and the feelings of complete love of euphoria he had experienced that couldn't even compare to the way he felt when he had been with Terri.

He smiled, feeling more confident about his visit. He wondered to himself why he hadn't been able to muster up the strength to call Emma sooner.

_Because it would've made Emma feel guilty about leaving,_ he answered his own question. And though he wanted her to come back more than anything, the last thing he wanted was to make her upset. He only hoped that he had made the right decision to accept her invite for tonight.

When he reached the apartment complex, he asked the receptionist to buzz him in. Emma met him in the lobby a moment later, smiling brightly.

Will smiled as well as he took in her appearance. She wore a sunny yellow sweater, a pair of matching flats, and a pale khaki skirt. He approached her, unsure of how to greet her. A kiss—or even a hug—seemed to forward. They ended up awkwardly smiling and not touching at all.

The elevator ride to her room was silent. Neither of them was able to wipe the ridiculous grins off their faces. They couldn't have been happier to see each other again, though neither of them was quite sure how to start a conversation. They didn't know quite where their relationship stood, and neither wanted the other to feel uncomfortable.

"So how's school?" Emma finally asked as she unlocked the door to her apartment.

Will shrugged. "Let's just say its been better. It's different without you—and even Sue. And the kids are still a mess. I thought winning sectionals would bring them back together, but Quinn, Puck, and Finn still can hardly even look at each other. Even Rachel's feeling the tension—she called off Glee practice today."

He followed her into the apartment and saw that it was so perfectly Emma. The walls were painted a pale, cheery yellow with perfectly centered pictures of flowers lining the walls. On the countertop of the immaculate kitchen, the only item in sight was a container of Clorox wipes which Will figured Emma kept handy in case of an emergency.

"Why don't you sit down?" Emma offered, leading him toward to small living room area. The floor was covered in a decorative floral rug, and he couldn't help but to smile to himself when he saw the plastic covering on the suede couch. "I'll make us some tea if you'd like."

"That'd be great," Will told her, sitting down carefully on the couch as the plastic covering squeaked beneath him. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I'm fine," Emma answered, already in the kitchen. Will saw her take out the stark white ceramic mugs and place a tea bag in each and carefully fill the tea pot with filtered water and place it on the stove. He realized he would probably just make Emma a nervous wreck by evening entering her kitchen.

"So school's different, Glee's falling apart—but what about you, Will? How have you been?" Emma asked, bringing the tea into the living room to join him.

Will sighed, turning his eyes away from her. He wanted to lie to make her feel better about her decision, but he knew that in the end, it would get him nowhere. "I miss you, Emma. I miss you a lot."

Emma's gaze fell down to couch, letting her nails tap against the plastic. "I was afraid of that…" she mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Emma," Will apologized at once. How could he have been so stupid? This was the exact topic he hadn't wanted to bring up tonight...

"No, no, no. Don't apologize," she reassured him. "I'm glad you told me. I just wish my decision to leave didn't affect you so much. You have the kids to worry about—and they really need you right now. And you need to focus on yourself as well—divorce is never easy—"she dared to say the words—"And now I'm just making things harder for you on top of all that…"

Will noticed she had begun to cry. Without a thought, he positioned himself closer to her, and began to rub the small of back. "Emma, shhhh. Don't cry," he whispered. "I'm the one who's making things worse for myself. I understand why you left—and I want you to know that I really respect your decision. Truly, I do."

She sniffled, leaning into his embrace. "Is it fair?" Emma mumbled. "What we're doing to ourselves? As soon as you leave tonight, we're both going to hurt ten times worse than before. Maybe its better if we just don't see each other all…" Even the mere words hurt as they flowed from her mouth.

Will pulled away from her embrace so he could look into her wide brown eyes as he said the words. "Emma, I _need _you. While I've been staying a McKinley High—a constant reminder of what my life has become, I've had a lot of time to think…and my life's not worth anything unless you're a part of it. Emma, that kiss—I still can't get it out of mind. And when I saw your empty office before you left, and I thought I had lost you, I didn't know what I was going to do with myself. I know I've hardly even left Terri, but I _know _I can't live without you…"

Emma stared at him with her large doe-like eyes, her heart pounding furiously as he finished. A thousand thoughts rushed through her mind, but she answered with the question that was bothering her the most. "You mean you're still living at your office?"

"What?" Will hadn't expected that, then composing himself. "Yeah," he mumbled, "I haven't had the chance to look for a new place yet, and I'm not sure if I can afford it right now…"

"So you've been sleeping on that mattress? What have you been eating? And where have you been showering and doing your laundry?" Emma's questions flew from her mouth in a flurry.

Of course Emma would be worried about all that. "Well," Will answered, "I've been eating out or buying some extra food at the cafeteria during lunch. I've been doing my laundry at the local laundry mat, and well, I've been showering in the football locker room," he told her sheepishly and wasn't surprised in the least when she winced at his words.

"That's hardly civil," she muttered, "Do you want to stay here with me?"

Will glanced up at her in surprise.

"I mean," she muttered, looking embarrassed, "you could sleep here on the couch—I don't have a spare bedroom unfortunately. But at least you could get some decent meals and practice proper hygiene and—" She stopped herself short as she realized she was rambling. With flaming cheeks, she turned to gage Will's reaction.

"Emma, I'd love to stay with you, but that's a lot to ask of you, and I'd feel like I was intruding…" But he couldn't help but to feel a rush of happiness as he said the words. Staying with Emma was, well, just about the best thing he could imagine.

"No, Will, it wouldn't be intruding. Not at all." She scooted closer to him on the couch, lifting his chin lightly with her hand as she took in a deep breath before continuing. "Will, ever since I came to McKinley High and met you, I've wanted nothing more than this for this day to come. I know the circumstances aren't quite ideal, but, Will, I need you too. And the thought of you going back to that school tonight, or any other night, and sleeping in that dingy office and showering in those _dreadful_ showers—I would love it you stayed with me, at least for now."

Will grinned at her, and without any hesitation, he closed the distance between them as he pressed his lips to hers.


	3. Chapter III

_A/N: Thanks so, so much for all the reviews! The more you guys review, the more inspired I am to write!_

_Much thanks to BeAuTiFuLlIfE for beta reading this chapter for me! _

_This chapter is a little shorter than the last one, and though I would've liked to do two parts to this chapter like the previous ones--one part dealing with Will and Emma while the other part focuses on the kids-- it didn't quite work out with the next chapter I have planned. If all goes as planned, you should be meeting the new guidance counselor and new Cheerio coach next chapter :P So what sort of teachers do you think will take over Sue and Emma's jobs?_

_I do have a busy week ahead of me, so I don't know when I'll be able to update next. I'll try to get at least one more chapter up before the weekend!_

_Thanks again, and enjoy!_

* * *

Will woke to the faint beams of sunlight streaming through the window as he lay contently on Emma's couch. He smiled—it had been so long since he had woken up to sunshine, and he hadn't realized he had missed it.

The plastic covering on the couch squeaked as he rose from his makeshift bed. Last night, Emma had offered to take the plastic off the couch before he slept on it, but Will had insisted that it was fine. He figured the surface of the couch had not touched the outside air since it had been delivered from the furniture store, and no matter how much Emma insisted it would be fine to take the plastic off, Will knew that it would cause her unnecessary anxiety.

Will quietly slipped down the hallway into the immaculate bathroom to change back into his wrinkled outfit. After using the toilet and washing his hands, he checked to see if anything looked out of place. Living with Emma was definitely going to be a wake up call to any careless or sloppy habits he had, but it was a sacrifice that would be well worth it.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he found Emma in the kitchen, already fully dressed.

"Why are you up so early?" Will asked, greeting her with a smile as she prepared herself a piece of toast.

"Job hunting," she answered. "Which has turned out to be more difficult than I thought. The only school around here that is in need of a guidance counselor is McKinley High, so it looks like I'm going to have to settle for something a little more inferior. Would you like a piece of toast?"

"I would love a piece of toast," he told her, though he rarely took the time to eat breakfast. But eating breakfast with Emma changed his view entirely. "Good luck with the job search, and if you'd like, I can help you come up with a few places to apply to when I get home tonight."

Will couldn't help but to smile as he said the words. It was so wonderful to finally have a place to call home, and a lovely woman to come home to. It dawned on him how much the two seemed like a married couple this morning, and it was ridiculous how much that idea made him grin.

"I'd really appreciate that, Will," Emma told him, a genuine note in her voice. The toast popped out of the toaster a moment later, and Emma reached to pull out her piece. "Do you mind if I touch your piece, or would you rather me use gloves, or you could even come get it your—"

Will cut her off. "It's fine if you touch it." He couldn't help but to chuckle after he said the words.

Emma blushed feverishly as she brought the toast over to the table. "I'm sorry. It's just been so long since I've lived with anyone, and—"

"Emma, you don't have to do this. I'm fine living at the school until I can find my own place," Will reassured her, hating to see her in such an apprehensive state due to his presence.

"No, I want to do this," Emma took in deep breath as she caught Will's gaze. "I just want everything to be perfect for you."

Will's heart melted as she said the words. "Emma, _anything _you do will be perfect for me."

Emma seemed to relax slightly at his reassurance, but she still seemed slightly frazzled as she looked over at the kitchen. The bread bag hadn't been restored to bread box yet, and the cabinet from which she had grabbed the plates was still open.

"Emma, come over here," Will told her, and Emma tore her eyes from the slight imperfection of the kitchen over to Will's perfect face.

Will beckoned her with his eyes, and hesitantly, Emma left the disarray of the kitchen. Will opened his arms as Emma approached him, and he pulled her gently into his lap.

"Relax," he told her, whispering softly, lightly rubbing the small of her back. He felt her muscles give in slightly. "Close your eyes." His breath hit the back of her neck. Emma's eyelids fluttered shut. Gently, he continued to massage her back, all the way up her spine until he reached her shoulders. "All better?" he breathed, his lips brushing the nape of her neck.

She nodded, a part of her wishing he hadn't stopped so soon. "Thanks, Will."

Slowly, Emma rose from Will's lap. She restored the kitchen to its immaculate state and then grabbed some knives and jam as she joined Will back at the table.

Will looked in disbelief at the tiny restaurant sized jam packets. "Wouldn't it be easier to buy a big jar?"

Emma blushed once again as she opened the small container and began to precisely spread the strawberry jam. "I have a problem with letting already opened containers sit around in my kitchen. It feels much fresher to do it this way—I do it with all my condiments, even peanut butter."

There was no limit to Emma's mysophobic tendencies, Will decided, but instead of annoying him, he found her more and more adorable as he discovered each one of her quirks.

"That reminds me," Emma added. "Would you like me to make you a peanut butter sandwich for your lunch today?"

"But you already made me breakfast." Will could not hide his surprise. Terri had hardly ever offered to make him lunch.

"I thought it'd be a nice change from the awful cafeteria lunches, and before you protest, I wouldn't mind at all," Emma told him with a smile. She stacked their two empty plates, carrying them into the kitchen and scrubbing them thoroughly before placing them into the dishwasher. She took out the loaf of bread and two small packets of peanut butter, humming softly as worked.

Will only watched her with his chin resting contently in his hand. God, she was beautiful…

"I'll give you some grapes, too," she added, startling Will out of his trance. She crisply creased the top of the brown paper lunch bag, and then handed it to him. "You'd better head out or else you're going to be late."

Will glanced at the clock, regretting that he had to go already. He would spend his day walking past Emma's empty office and wondering what exactly he was going to do about his failing Glee Club. But at least he had the hope of coming home to Emma's warm smile.

"Bye, Emma," he told her, their fingers brushing slightly as she handed him the brown bag. "And thanks. Thanks for everything."

Emma only smiled. "I'll see you later tonight."

As Will slipped out the door, he turned to catch one last glimpse of Emma. She was intently scrubbing the kitchen table, humming the same nameless tune as before.


	4. Chapter IV

_A/N: So I lied. You only get to meet the new guidance counselor in this chapter, not the Cheerio coach. But I'm pretty sure the Cheerio couch will make an appearance within the next few chapters. _

_As many of you have noticed, when you review, I like to take the time and send you a thank you message back, because I truly do appreciate that you take the time to tell me what you think. I just wanted to take a moment to thank **aliaschic4**, who always anonymously reviews. Since I haven't had the proper chance to says thanks, I just wanted to let you know I appreciate it!_

_I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think!_

* * *

"Hey, Finn."

Rachel's smiling face appeared as Finn shut his locker.

"Oh, hey, Rachel," Finn mumbled absentmindedly, glancing up at the clock in front of him for no particular reason. "What's up?"

"I made you cookies," Rachel told him brightly, shoving a large plate of star shaped cut outs in front of his face.

"Um, thanks, Rach." Finn awkwardly accepted the plate of cookies. Why in the world was Rachel giving him cookies?

"You've just looked so down lately, and cookies always manage to brighten my day," Rachel told him, as if reading his mind. She continued to grin widely, and it was freaking him out a little.

Finn nodded and managed a small smile. After standing in awkward silence for more than a minute, Rachel finally began to back away.

"I guess I'll be going now," she told Finn, waving to him he continued to stare at the plate of cookies.

As Rachel rounded the corner, she swore under her breath. She was so certain that the cookies would work! But even with Quinn out of the picture, Rachel Berry felt just as invisible as ever.

"Didn't work out the way you expected it to, did it?"

Rachel stopped in her tracks to see Kurt leaning casually against a row of lockers.

"What?" Rachel sputtered, dumb founded. She gave him a quizzical look—Kurt hardly bothered to talk to Rachel.

"You know very well what I'm talking about," Kurt told her, nodding toward the direction that Rachel had just come from. Finn continued to stare at the cookies, as if trying to figure out exactly what he was supposed to do with them. A moment later, Mike Chang came up from behind to give him a friendly slap on the back. Startled, the plate of cookies slipped from Finn's hands, scattering across the floor.

Rachel only glared at Kurt.

Kurt shrugged, watching as Rachel's perfect cookies were smashed by the careless steps of their fellow students. "I'm ahead of you right now."

"What do you mean by 'ahead.' And in what?" Rachel exasperated. She watched as Finn disappeared down the hall, leaving her cookies to be ground to dust.

"Finn needs to be left alone right now. He's hurt, and by definition—unlike girls, guys need their space before someone swoops in to comfort them. Which is why I am ahead of you. I haven't said a word to Finn since _you _spilled the beans about Quinn and Puck, and _you_have been annoying him and pushing him farther away with your pathetic little antics," Kurt stated matter-of-factly.

"I can hardly see how that's getting you ahead. Finn probably doesn't even remember you exist while I am so thoughtfully reminding him that I will be here for him _whenever _he might he need me," Rachel contradicted hotly, stamping her foot like a petulant five-year-old for emphasis.

Kurt only chuckled. "Your judgment is seriously impaired. Do you honestly think that flinging yourself onto him for only your own personal gain is really going to get you anywhere? If Finn will be turning to anyone when he is ready to accept comfort, it will be to me."

"No, you're the one with the impair—" Rachel fumed.

But Kurt only put up a hand to silence her. "I'm done talking about this matter, especially with someone dressed as hideously as you. Honestly, Rachel, where did manage to find a mustard yellow overall dress?"

Before she could answer him, Kurt turned sharply on the heel of his designer boots before disappearing down the hall, leaving Rachel alone in the empty corridor amongst the ruins of her cookies.

***

"How's Puck's house?" Santana dared to ask as she approached Quinn's locker, not expecting Quinn to turn around with such vehemence.

"Oh, I think you know perfectly well what Noah Puckerman's house is like, Santana." Quinn did not yell, but the venom in her voice was loud and clear. "I'd say it fair to say you've spent more time there than I have."

Santana's face fell. Her relationship with Quinn hadn't ever quite mended since Quinn had discovered she and Puck had been "sexting."

Quinn slammed her locker shut, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she began to stride quickly down the hall.

"Wait, Quinn!" Santana jogged to keep up with her. "I don't see why you're so angry about that. Honestly, if anyone has a right to still be angry, it's me. Puck and I were closer to being an item than you two ever were—and just because you're knocked up with his bastard child doesn't mean a thing."

"Santana, you're not helping your cause," Quinn told her, keeping her gaze strictly in front of her. "I'd appreciate it if you left me alone now."

Santana sighed, allowing Quinn to disappear into the crowd. She had never meant for things to turn out this way. After all, Santana and Quinn had been inseparable since third grade. But now, Santana felt as though she were growing closer to Brittany, who had always been the tag along in the girls' relationship. Dopey Brittany could never offer the friendship that Quinn and Santana had shared over the years, but at least she'd always be there.

As if on cue, Brittany appeared next to her, looking mismatched in a striped skirt and a polka dotted shirt. _The poor dear doesn't even know how to dress herself properly without her Cheerios uniform_, Santana thought, trying not to grimace at the offensive outfit. Santana missed her Cheerios uniform as well—not only was difficult to find something to wear in the mornings (now she had to slave over her appearance to try to match Quinn's effortless style), but it also made her feel inferior to wear everyday street clothes. Being a Cheerio had given Santana more confidence than she had realized.

It was Principal Figgins order that the Cheerios turn in their uniforms. He insisted that when a replacement was finally found, new tryouts would be held to ensure that the squad would now contain the fairness and equal opportunities that it had lacked under Sue Sylvester.

Santana was not worried about having a spot when the new coach arrived. Sue Sylvester had trained her well in the art of winning, and Santana would not give up easily. She was ready to show her new coach that and prove to her that she was a capable leader. She would make sure that the Cheerios were just as competitive—if not even more—as when Sue had been coach.

"San, does this make me look fat?" Brittany asked innocently as she looked down at her purple and blue polka dotted shirt.

"That's the _last _thing anyone's gonna think, Brit," Santana reassured the ditzy blonde, eyeing the hideous outfit. Even Rachel's wardrobe wasn't that pathetic.

"Oh, good," Brittany smiled. "Because people were giving me the same looks they gave Quinn when I walked into school today, and I thought I might look pregnant or something."

"Brit, how about I come over your house tonight, and we'll pick you out a nice outfit to wear to school tomorrow?" Santana kindly told her friend, patting her on gently on the arm.

"Okay," Brittany smiled genuinely. "I'd like that."

"For now, why don't you where my sweater?" Santana shrugged off the cream colored sweater she was wearing over her magenta empire top.

Brittany pulled her sleeves into the sweater, trying to fit it over the frumpy sleeves of her own shirt.

"Never mind," Santana sighed as she took the sweater back from Brittany.

"Thanks anyway, San," Brittany smiled, "You're the best." And Santana couldn't help but to smile back at her ditzy blonde friend.

***

Will had gotten into the habit of passing the guidance office every morning long before Emma had left, and even with her absence, he couldn't seem to pull himself away from her memory.

But his lonely reminiscing was rudely shaken that morning when he passed the office and saw that it was not quite as empty as been for the past few weeks. In fact, the office was an utter mess. Fly away papers were strewn across every inch of the desk, mismatched folders were stacked haphazardly on top of the filing cabinet, and a cheap Styrofoam cup of coffee lay on its side, dripping into a growing puddle of watery brown liquid that spanned across the floor.

"Can I help you?"

The voice came from behind Will, startling him. He realized he had been staring in shock at the cluttered office. He turned around, blushing slightly, to be greeted by a young woman.

She was gorgeous—that was the first thing Will noticed—but not in a comforting way. She was tall and slender, and she wore a chic pinstriped pant suit. Her dark brown hair fell down to her shoulders in loose waves, shining luminously in the blare of the over head florescent light. But Will hardly noticed any of that after his eyes met hers. Her piercing grey eyes seemed to tear right through him, and no matter how much he wished to turn away, there was something mesmerizing about those frightening eyes.

After a moment he was able to compose himself. "No—I'm fine. I was just passing here on my way to my first class—you must be the new guidance counselor…" he trailed off awkwardly, trying to avoid catching her gaze. There was something quite unsettling about those eyes.

"That's right," she smiled, and like the rest of her, it was not pleasant. "I'm Lilah. Lilah Tate."

She held out her hand, and Will hesitantly shook it. Her skin was freezing, and he was not the least bit surprised. "I'm Will Schuester," he muttered, and he dared to look her in the eye in order to conduct a polite greeting. "I teach Spanish."

"It's nice to meet you, Will," she mused, chuckling lightly to herself, as if she were sharing some private joke with herself. Will looked at her quizzically.

She walked around to the other side of her desk, completely ignoring the split coffee. Will stared at her incredulously, wondering if he should mention the coffee or not. Surely she noticed the spill?

Lilah, if she did notice the spill, seemed completely indifferent to the wet mess. As she shoved some papers around on her desk, the edges of the paper absorbed the sporadic droplets spanning across her desk.

Finally, Will could stand it no longer. "Um, aren't you going to clean it up?"

"Wha--oh, that!" Lilah glanced toward the watery mess. Lilah shrugged, picking up the overturned cup and threw it into the trash. She haphazardly dabbed at the spill with a handful of tissues, and when she had finished her wiping, a large brown stain still remained on the floor.

"Do you want me to get you some Clorox wipes for that?" Will offered, angered at the poor state that Emma's (he would not yet admit that it belonged to this creature) office was in. From his brief janitorial job, he knew where the cleaning supplies were kept, and he would've been more than happy to help her restore _Emma's _office to its original state.

"No, don't you worry about it—it's hardly even noticeable." Lilah waved it off, dramatically sitting down on the chair behind her desk. She didn't even bother to clean off a proper space on the cluttered surface as she pulled out one of her files. "I don't mind messes," she alluded, her voice coming out in a seductive purr.

Will shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot, unsure of what to say next.

As the bell rang, Lilah glanced up from her desk, her eyes piecing Will's once more. "I do believe that's your cue to leave, dear." She shot Will a sickening smile, and though it happened so quickly that Will wasn't even certain he had seen it, she winked at him.

Even after he had left the office and arrived at the safety of his own classroom, he could not get rid of the unsettling feeling in his stomach.

* * *

_A/N: I don't usually add pictures on my profile page to go along with my stories, but that's because I've never really written much for movies/TV shows, which are very visual. Since we all know what the Glee characters look like, I thought I would add some pictures of any original character that makes an appearance in this story just to keep things consistent. _

_For a picture of Lilah, go to my profile page and scroll down past my Beta Victims. Let me know if the link works!_


	5. Chapter V

_A/N: Thanks so much to Emma (BeAuTiFuLlIfE) for beta reading this for me! She helped so much with this chapter, so give her a round of applause!_

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_

Emma loved to cook, which always came as shock when someone discovered this secret interest of hers. Cooking was a usually considered a messy hobby—but not in Emma's kitchen. Just like all her other mysophobic tendencies, she was quite meticulous with her cooking. She slaved over each dish to complete it to perfection while trying to keep her kitchen immaculate in the process.

Needless to say, despite her love for it, Emma hardly cooked. She found it much quicker and easier to prepare cold food, such as various salads, sandwiches, and other simple meals, or even on occasion, go out to a restaurant where she fully trusted the sanitation habits.

But tonight was an exception. Will hadn't had a home cooked meal in ages, and Emma had in mind to cook a fabulous meal for him. She had paged through her recipe book—the only unkempt item in the house that Emma allowed. It had been her mother's, and though she could've easily copied the recipes into a much more sanitary book, she found the grungy recipe book to be quite sentimental. She could still remember the wonderful aroma that had filled the kitchen every time her mother had prepared a meal.

It had been hard to choice just the right meal, and her ingredients we quite limited. Emma kept as little food as she could in her house at any given time. No matter how tightly it was sealed, Emma hated the idea of food sitting around in her kitchen. She hardly bought meats of any kind—she was very particular and wary about her meats, and she refused to eat dairy unless it was already mixed in with the food she was eating.

Emma did have a plethora of fruits and vegetables, though—all bought from the local organic market—so upon digging through the recipe book, Emma had decided that she would make her mother's famous vegetable soup and corn muffins for a side dish.

With a pair of plastic gloves pulled securely over her hands, a pile of freshly picked vegetables, a bottle of disinfectant spray, and her kitchen radio turned to her favorite station, Emma began to work.

***

Will was ravenous as he approached the door of Emma's apartment. He fumbled around in his pocket, digging around for the spare key that Emma had so kindly given to him. As he opened the door, he was greeted by the mouth watering scent of simmering vegetable soup.

As he placed his brief case and the small suitcase down by the front door, he glanced toward the kitchen. Emma was still oblivious to his presence. As she carefully stirred the savory soup, her dulcet voice sang along with the song on the radio.

Will couldn't help but to smile, and he was careful not to make any noise as he watched her for a moment longer.

"But I love you still! I need you (I need you)! More than anyone darlin'! You know that I have from the start! So build me up (Build me up), Buttercup, don't break my heart!" Will grinned as she belted the song, swaying from foot to foot as she continued to stir.

As the song ended, Will approached her, applauding enthusiastically. Emma turned around abruptly, her cheeks flushing hotly.

"I…I didn't see you," she stammered, unable to catch Will's gaze.

Will lifted her chin up gently. "Don't be embarrassed…" he murmured, sliding his arms around her waist. "I found you to be quite entertaining…it's a shame you can't join my Glee Club."

Emma managed a smile, the heat from her cheeks subsiding slightly. Will's hands slid up her back as he leant in to kiss her. Her eyes closed as she waited for his lips to brush against hers, but just before their lips touched, the timer rang, startling them both.

"Um, I'd better get the corn muffins," Emma said, pulling herself away from Will's grasp as she carefully pulled on her oven mitts, taking the perfectly formed muffins out of the oven.

"So how was your day?" Will asked, leaning against the counter top as Emma put the muffins out on the cooling rack.

"It was pretty uneventful, um, yeah," she replied as she reached for two bowls on the top shelf of the cabinet. She strained on her tip toes, struggling to reach. He stepped in, grabbing them for her. A smile danced on the edge of her lips. "Are you ready to eat now, or would you rather wait until later?"

Will's stomach rumbled loudly in response.

"Well I guess we have our answer," Emma laughed, pulling some small plates down from the lower shelf.

Will grinned back at her, looking slightly embarrassed. He carried the bowls and plates over to the table while Emma carefully placed the muffins into a basket and carried the hot soup over to the table. She allotted them each equal portions of soup and gave herself and him and muffin.

"Emma, this soup is fantastic!" Will told her, ravenously spooning out the hearty vegetable soup.

"Thanks," she replied, daintily sipping her own soup. "It's my mother's recipe."

"Family recipes are always the best," Will said, helping himself to seconds, "like my favorite is Terr—" he stopped short, her name hitting both of them hard in the chest. Will swallowed his pain, and Emma shifted nervously in her seat, her heart aching just as much as his upon seeing how much Will was still hurting.

Awkward silence, sans the clinking of metal spoons, filled the kitchen for a moment as both Will and Emma tried to think of something to say.

"Oh," Will started, and Emma looked up, daring to catch his gaze. He seemed to have gained back his composure. "I almost forgot. I met your replacement today."

Emma's eyes sparked with interest and a twinge of jealousy. "Oh?"

"Yeah, she's the complete opposite of you—it's kind of funny actually, how different you two are. She already has your entire office destroyed," –here Emma winced—"I've never seen somebody so sloppy."

"Um, so what does she, you know....look like?" Emma dared to ask, hoping that Will would proceed to describe an old, wrinkly spinster.

"Well, she's pretty young, I'd say, and she's gor…" Will trailed off as he saw Emma's expression. Her wide doe eyes were peaked with interest—too much interest. He was suddenly reminded of the time when he had confronted Emma about April Rhodes.

"So she's, you know, gorgeous?" Emma reiterated, trying to sound nonchalant as she intently inspected her spoon, watching Will out of the corner of her eye.

Will knew he needed to watch his words carefully—though he was finding Emma's bout of jealously to be adorable. He shrugged, "Yeah, Lilah's pretty." _No use in lying_, he decided. "But nothing special. And there's something really unsettling about her eyes..." he added, wanting to elaborate more on Lilah's frightful disposition, but he knew that it would hardly help right now. Emma was too concerned about the fact that Will would be working with a young, gorgeous counselor everyday to really care how heinous she might be.

Emma nodded, nibbling at her corn muffin. She tired to imagine this _Lilah. _Even her name sounded exotic and appealing.

"Emma," Will pushed back his smile despite the fact that Emma's envy was becoming more adorable by the second. "She's just a guidance counselor…and no one could _ever _take your place."

They both knew he was talking about more than just her counseling position. Emma finally allowed herself to catch his gaze, her heart melting when she saw the sincerity in his eyes.

"You know," Will said, suddenly having an idea. He stepped up from his chair and approached Emma. He pulled her up from her own chair, holding her hands gently in his, "I believe this is where we left off before the timer so rudely interrupted us earlier."

And before she could utter another word, Will closed the space between their lips. It was a brief, soft kiss, but nonetheless, they were both breathing heavily as they broke apart.

And as Will began to help Emma clean up the kitchen, neither of them needed to say anything at all.

***

Quinn stood awkwardly outside of Terri Schuester's apartment, unable to make herself knock on the door.

She hadn't told Puck where she was going. She had simply told him that she needed to buy a few things, and when Puck had offered to go to the store for her, Quinn had explained that it was feminine products that she need. Puck had backed down right away, and he was too dumb to realize that Quinn had not been having her period, nor would she be having it anytime soon in the months to come.

Quinn had been standing outside of Terri's door for over five minutes now, and she was beginning to wonder if she should just turn around and leave. She wasn't quite sure if she were really ready to hear what Terri had to say yet.

But the longer she put it off, the harder it would be to come. And Quinn had made it this far already. Hesitantly, she knocked on the door.

No answer.

Quinn let out a sigh of relief. But just as she turned to leave she heard the door click open. She stopped in her tracks to see Terri's head poking out of the door, her eyes swollen as though she had recently just stopped crying.

"Oh, Quinn, it's you," Terri sniffled, her voice still thick with tears. "Come in."

Quinn stepped through the doorway, surprised to see a pair of Will's shoes resting just beside the threshold. Suddenly, a rush of panic swept through her. Was Mr. Schue here? She wasn't sure how much he knew about her and Terri's agreement, and she certainly didn't want to stick around to find out.

Pictures of Will and Terri, from various instances through out their lives, still lined the walls and the table tops. Maybe Mr. Schue and his wife were getting back together—though Quinn had been certain that divorce was imminent, especially since Mr. Schue showed obvious interest in their ex-guidance counselor. But she had to ask to be sure. If Mr. Schue were here, Quinn would make sure she'd come back another time when he was not. "Is Mr. Schue her—"

Terri cut her off. "No." And that was it. And Quinn knew not to ask for a further explanation. Terri looked like she might burst into tears already as it was.

"Mrs. Schues—I mean, um," Quinn trailed off, suddenly unsure of what to call the woman that stood beside her.

"You can call me Terri," Terri informed her simply, leading her to sit down on the couch the two had sat on many times in the past.

Quinn nodded, the name sounding strange on her lips. She had been raised well and taught never to call an adult by their first name out of respect. "Terri, I was just wondering where things, you know, stand with my baby and…" she trailed off awkwardly, unable to catch Terri's gaze.

"Quinn," Terri began, playing with the silver chain that hung around her neck. "I'm not sure how to tell you this—but I'm not sure if me taking your baby is going to work out anymore. Will—Will and I are getting a divorce." The words hung heavily between them. "Which means I'm going to need to get a better job, or at least a second one, and that's no way to raise a child. I just don't think this is going to work." She stopped to gage Quinn's reaction. The blonde girl had never looked so small and helpless, biting her lip to try to prevent the tears from spilling, but Terri could still see the moisture building in the corners of her eyes. Terri felt tears fill her own eyes once again as she felt the weight of both their hopeless situations bear down on her. "You understand though, right?" Terri managed to say.

Quinn could only nod, and Terri realized that she hadn't even been hospitable to offer Quinn anything to eat or drink. That was the least she could do for the distraught girl. "Quinn, honey, can I get you anything?" Terri offered, reaching out and rubbing her shoulder awkwardly. Terri had never been good when it came to comforting people.

"No, that's alright, Mrs. Schuester," Quinn said, forgetting to call her Terri. Her voice was thick with tears. "I really do have to be going now."

Terri nodded as Quinn quickly headed for the front door. Quinn made it down the elevator and out the door into the bleak night before the hot tears began to stream down her cheeks.

* * *

_A/N: A couple random questions for you:_

_1. Do any of you know approximately how far along Quinn is in her pregnancy?_

_2. Trying to be consistant with the show, do we know what month it is currently supposed to be? How far along in the school year is it?_

_Thanks so much, and as always, I'd really appreciate if you took a minute to tell me what you think!_


	6. Chapter VI

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. You guys are seriously awesome. And also thanks to the anonymous reviewer who informed me that it is probably around the beginning of November because football season just ended. And thanks to **Angel360-Devil0** who helped me estimate how far along Quinn is in her pregnancy. I'm going to say she's around 13-15 weeks which is approximately 4 months. _

_Thanks to **BeAuTiFuLlIfE** and **The Duchessina**, who both were so kind as to read this chapter over for me. _

_I'm leaving for vacation today, and I won't be back until January 4th, and I have no idea if I will have internet access or not. I do have a long car trip, though, so I hope to at least get some chapters written and ready to post when I get back. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and wonderful holiday season!_

* * *

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

Will looked up in surprise. Over the past few weeks, he had grown accustomed to eating lunch alone. Ken and Will now avoided each other like the plague, Emma, of course, was gone, and even Sue, who every so often would join Will at lunch to mercilessly torment him in some way or another, was no longer present, so Will was left alone. In fact, he spent most days eating by himself in his classroom.

He glanced up to see Lilah standing above him, holding a tray of cafeteria food. She smiled at him, her grey eyes glowing, and Will's stomach turned uncomfortably. Yes, he would mind terribly if Lilah sat there. "No, not at all."

Lilah placed her tray down beside Will, and he got an unpleasant whiff of the mystery substance that covered her tray. He watched as she took at large scoop off her tray and ate it without a second thought.

"What is that, anyway?" he asked before he could help himself.

Lilah shrugged, taking another forkful. "Does it really matter? It's edible, whatever it is…you sure have a cute lunch there." She glanced at Will's perfect triangles of peanut butter and jelly that rested inside of one of Emma's sandwich containers. "Your wife cook that up for you?"

"Um, not exactly," Will trailed off, not sure how describe his relationship with Emma and not sure how much of his personal life he really wanted to reveal to Lilah.

Lilah's eyes shined with interest, but she let the topic drop, digging at her lunch some more.

"So," Will started, biting into his sandwich. "How was your first day here?"

"Not bad," Lilah told him, scooping up the last of the food off her tray. "You know, it's always daunting to start a new job. Hard to get acquainted with all the new people…hard to find some one kind enough to show you the ropes. I'm lucky I bumped into you." She smiled at him, and he found it to be slightly more pleasant than before. Maybe he hadn't given Lilah a fair chance.

Will managed to smile back. "Well, I could at least help you get familiar with the rest of the staff if you'd like," Will offered before he could stop himself.

"I'd like that," Lilah told him, glancing at Will through her dark lashes. She daintily sipped her carbonated water.

Will was taken slightly aback, subconsciously enthralled by her appealing disposition. "Well, um, I guess I'll start by telling you who everyone is." He glanced around the faculty room, which was not very crowded this afternoon, but at least it was a place to start. "That's Ellen Miller," he pointed to a slightly frazzled looking woman with rhinestone glasses who sat at one of the back tables by herself, intently engrossed in a thick novel. "She's the librarian. And that's Simon Callahan," he motioned toward a middle aged man with graying hair. "He teaches tenth grade chemistry. And sitting beside him, that's Marina Cress." Upon hearing her name, Marina averted her gaze toward Will. Marina was the gossiper among the faculty; her ears could pick up a conversation from a mile away. Marina rose from her chair, and the tall, black woman ambled confidently toward Will and Lilah table. She pulled up a chair next to Will.

"You can't honestly expect me to hear my name and not come over to hear all the things you're saying about me," she told Will, smiling boldly. "And you must be Lilah Tate, the new guidance counselor." She extended a hand toward Lilah, who accepted it coldly. Marina didn't seem to be affected in the least, continuing with her endless chatter. "And as you have probably figured out, I'm Marina Cress. I teach psychology and child development. So what was it that you were talking about before I so rudely interrupted?"

"I was just telling Lilah about the staff," Will explained, checking his watch to see how much longer the period was. Marina always managed to get under his skin.

"How lovely!" Marina exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly. Will rolled his eyes. Of course Marina would love to join in on this topic. "Who have you told her about so far?"

Will glanced around the room. "Everyone except Ken and—wait who's that sitting over there?" Both Lilah and Marina followed his gaze toward the far table where an intense middle aged man with a completely shaved head sat, downing a can of Red Bull.

"Oh!" Marina began to speak in a rush. "That's the new Cheerio coach—Bill McNavage, I believe that's his name. He used to teach at a boy's military school. He just started today, and he—"

Will cut her off. "That's the Cheerio coach?" Will had been expecting anything _but _that. Though he didn't really have an idea of the unfortunate teacher who would fill Sue's shoes, he had at least expected that person to be of the feminine gender.

"Yep," Marina confirmed. "He'll be an interesting character…I hear he's holding boot camp style tryouts for the team this Thursday."

"But I have Glee on Thursdays," Will mumbled, taking another glance at the coach. He finished the Red Bull and crushed the can effortlessly, opening his hand to reveal that it was completely demolished. Will had hoped that having a new Cheerio coach would mean more of an uninterrupted focus on Glee, but he was now beginning to feel unsure of that assumption.

"You'll have to take that up with Figgins," Marina told him, rising from her chair. "Well, I'll be heading out now. Nice chatting with you guys."

She left before either Will or Lilah even had a chance to say a word. They both smiled awkwardly at each other.

"Well, she's certainly a chatter box," Lilah finally said, not bothering to hide her annoyance. Will chuckled in agreement, feeling strange as the two connected over this shared opinion. He hadn't planned on relating to this frightening and callous woman on any level.

As they finished eating, Ken passed their table, and Will turned his head away automatically. He hadn't spoken to Ken since before sectionals. So when Ken stopped in his tracks, staring at Will with a hurt expression on his face, Will was unsure of what to say, and he was confused as to exactly why Ken had even bothered to pause.

"That's Emma's sandwich box," Ken finally accused, his voice rough and lined with grief. Will glanced down at the small plastic box from which he had been eating his sandwich. He quickly covered it up with the brown bag sitting idle on the table. He cursed himself for being so careless.

"So you moved in with her already? It was that easy for her to get over me?" Ken's words stung Will. Though Will and Ken had never been friends, they had certainly never been enemies. And he hated to see the damage he was doing to Ken, who certainly did not deserve any bit of it.

"Ken," Will pleaded with him. "It's not like that. It more for conven—"

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Schuester," Ken roughly interrupted him. "I see how it is."

With that, Ken abruptly turned away and stormed out of the faculty room. Will hung his head in shame.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Lilah staring at him, her eyes shining as she pondered what had just happened.

And Will wondered why the hell he had even bothered to come to lunch in the first place.

***

"Wow, everyone's quiet today," Will marveled as he entered the choir room, shuffling through his papers. Even taking into account recent events, Will had never seen the kids as laid back and silent as they were today. When none of them responded to his remark, he glanced at them quizzically. "Is everything alright?"

The kids shifted nervously in their seats. It was finally Kurt who answered. "We've all been scarred."

"What?" Will asked in confusion, taken aback by the solemnity in Kurt's voice.

"We've met _her_." He stated simply, glancing at his fellow Glee mates.

"Rather, we've met _it_," Rachel contradicted. "I honestly don't think she's human."

"Maybe she's a vampire," Brittany wondered aloud. Usually, Brittany's comments left them scratching their heads and wondering how exactly she had survived in this world this long, but for once, Brittany couldn't have been more precise. All the kids nodded in agreement, imagining her cold grey eyes and pale white skin.

"Seriously?" Will laughed, glancing at each of the kids. "Ms. Tate isn't that bad…"

"Ha!" Mercedes smirked. "She obviously is since we didn't even have to mention her name, and you knew exactly who we were talking about! Come on, Mr. Schue, just because she's a staff member doesn't mean you have to defend her. Seriously, there's something wrong with that woman."

Will had nothing to say to that. "Why have you guys all met her so soon, anyway?" He hadn't known that his Glee kids were guidance counselor regulars.

"We were forced to," Artie explained. "Over the past couple of days, she's been meeting with all the kids in the school so she can get acquainted with us."

"Well, it seems like a friendly enough gesture," Will answered, unsure why he was still bothering to defend her.

"Yeah, aside from the fact that she scared the shit outta us," Santana contradicted.

"And she talked to me about that bird that I used to have in my locker," Brittany mumbled, a far away look clouding her eyes.

"Brit, that's your own fault for bringing it up," Santana told her, flicking Brittany on the arm to snap her out of her daze.

"But how was I supposed to know?" Brittany protested, rubbing her arm where Santana had flicked her. "That's the only time I had to go talk to Miss Pillsbury, so I thought that Ms. Tate would want to talk about the same thing…"

"You guys are all nuts. Really, she wasn't that bad." Puck rolled his eyes. "I thought she was hot."

A few of the kids smirked while Quinn pointedly glared at him.

"I miss Miss Pillsbury," Finn spoke for the first time, and the rest of the kids nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it's just not the same without her," Mercedes added. "She always seemed to make things a little bit brighter."

Will bit his lip, feeling the acute pain of Emma's absence. He reminded himself that he would be seeing her later tonight. "I'll tell her you guys say hi," he spoke without thinking and regretted his words as soon as he did.

"I _knew _it!" Rachel exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight. "I told you guys! He's been staying with Miss Pillsbury. Ever since you finally moved that mattress from your office, Mr. Schue, I began to suspect something like this!"

"Now, Rach, don't jump to conclusions," Will mumbled, but his flaming cheeks gave him away.

"I don't see what the big deal is, Mr. Schue," Rachel told him, beaming. "I think you two make an adorable couple."

"I would appreciate it if you guys kept this to yourselves," Will asked the kids, sighing in defeat. "It is _my _personal life after all."

The kids nodded in agreement as Will began to hand out song sheets. Will had to wonder whether this day could've turned out any worse.

* * *

_A/N: As I said before, pictures of original characters are posted on my profile right under my beta victims. I've recently added a picture of Bill McNavage, and while I was at it, I decided to add some pictures of the other teachers mentioned in this chapter as well. Go check it out! :)_


	7. Chapter VII

_A/N: Thanks so much to **The Duchessina** for reading over this for me. Happy New Years to everyone!_

* * *

Upon entering Emma's apartment, Will slammed the door a little harder than he had meant to.

"Is everything alright, Will?" Emma's voice was laced with concern. She was in the kitchen, getting ready to prepare dinner. She wiped her hands on a fresh dish towel and then approached Will. She longed to reach out to embrace him, but Emma was never very good at initiating things, especially when it came to physical contact.

"Just had a long day," he answered. She hoped that he would take a moment to hold her in his arms, but Will was too distracted as he collapsed down at the kitchen table, pulling out a folder of ungraded Spanish tests.

Emma went back into the kitchen, grabbing a can of mandarin oranges off the cabinet shelf for the salad she planned to make. "Do you want to talk about it?" She watched Will as she went to pull out a bowl for the salad.

Will sighed heavily. "Well, the new Cheerio coach started today, and he has tryouts planned for Thursday afternoon, so I'm going to have to put a word in with Figgins tomorrow."

"Wait, did you just say _he_?" Emma questioned, pulling a bag of prewashed spinach leaves out of the refrigerator. She opened the bag and began to rewash each piece thoroughly.

"Yeah, Bill McNavage is as male as you can get. Frankly, I'm already frightened of him—you should see those guns. I just hope that he's more understanding about Glee than Sue was…"

"I'm sure he will be," Emma answered, placing the washed spinach leaves carefully into the bowl. "I mean, it's pretty hard to be any worse than Sue. I'm sure he just isn't aware of the Glee club, and he'll probably change the tryout date if you just ask."

Will smiled at Emma, her confidence boosting his. She returned the smile, glad to see that he was cheering up.

"Oh, and the kids know we're living together," Will added on a side note, watching Emma out of the corner of his eye.

"How?" Emma felt her cheeks color hotly. Though she was by no means embarrassed to be living with Will, the situation could be taken in a lot of different ways, and if the kids knew, she was frightened that Ken would soon discover the living arrangements as well.

"Rachel," Will told her. "She's just so goddamn nosey."

"Well," Emma muttered, pulling a manual can opener out of one of the kitchen drawers, "I suppose it was inevitable that someone would find out eventually."

Will nodded, glancing up at Emma. "Oh, the kids miss you. I told them I'd tell you they say hi."

Emma smiled genuinely, realizing how much she missed them too. "Tell them the same from me."

"I'll let them know," he promised. "Really, it just isn't the same without you. Lilah's just so…the opposite everything a guidance counselor should be…She did join me at lunch today, though."

At the mention of Lilah's name, a surge of jealously filled Emma. She jammed the can opener into the can of mandarin oranges a little more violently than she meant. "Oh really?"

At once Will regretted bringing Lilah up. Though he found it entertaining that Emma was so jealous, he also found it slightly annoying that she was so insecure. "All the kids hate her," he added, hoping that Emma would let his slipup go.

Emma didn't answer for a moment. The can opener caught on side of the can, causing her finger to slip. "Well, I think—" She stopped mid sentence, pulling her finger abruptly away from the jagged can. "Ow," she mumbled, taking a look at her injured finger. She paled as she saw the deep red blood seep slowly from the wound, an oozing droplet falling from the tiny cut and landing on her immaculate kitchen floor with a small splatter.

Will immediately stood from the table, hurrying to her side, unsure of how he should aid her. "Em—"

He was cut off as Emma abruptly turned, gripping the sides of the kitchen sink.

"Emma," Will tried again. "Is everything al—"

His words were cut short as Emma ducked her head, violently vomiting into the kitchen sink. She stared in horror at the mess she had created, swaying slightly as her face grew paler.

"Emma!" Will grabbed her elbow just in time. Her knees gave out, and Will caught her limp form with his outstretched arms. He hoisted her small body up into his arms, surprised by how light she was. He carried her down the hallway to her bedroom, pushing open the door gently with his back.

Will had not yet seen Emma's bedroom—he had never had a reason to go in until now. Everything was blue—that was the first think he noticed. Pale blue walls, periwinkle comforter, artwork done in different hues of blue. And of course, not a single item was out of place. It hardly looked lived in.

Will gently placed Emma's form onto the surface of the bed, brushing her ginger locks softly away from her face he waited for her to regain consciousness. A moment later, her eyelids fluttered open.

"Will," she moaned, her hands flying to her stomach. She pulled her body up from the bed, her breathing catching heavily in her throat. She tightly clutched her stomach.

"Emma, are you going to be sick again? I can help you to the bath—"

"No, no, no." She vehemently shook her head back and forth, her eyes blazing with terror. She sat herself up completely, gasping for air as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

"Emma." Will's voice was lined with concern. He carefully took one of her hands in his own. "Calm down. If you're going to be sick again, it will be okay. Don't fight it."

But Emma had already balled her hands into tight fists as she forced herself to take deep breaths. "I'm fine," she mumbled through gritted teeth. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Will asked, watching as Emma fought with her nausea.

Emma nodded, her eyes still tightly shut. "I need—I need to go shower, and I need to wash—"

"Emma," Will cut her off. "Right now, you need to lie down."

"No," Emma moaned. "And the kitchen…the sink…" She trailed off as her stomach churned. Her hand flew to her mouth.

"Emma," Will tried to reason with her. "Let me help you to the bathroom. You'll feel so much better…"

"No," Emma sobbed, feeling the bile rise in her throat. "Please no. Please. Oh god—"

She abruptly rose from the bed, dashing to the bathroom down the hall. Will followed closely behind, watching her fall to her knees at she threw open the toilet lid. He knelt beside her, pulling her flaming hair out of her face as she emptied the contents of her stomach. When she finished, she hastily flushed the toilet, crumpling weakly to the bathroom floor.

Will pulled a small Dixie cup out of the medicine cabinet, filling it with cold water. He helped Emma to her feet, making sure not to loosen his grip on her waist as he led her to the sink lest she pass out again.

"Here." He handed her the cup of water. "Rinse out your mouth out."

She nodded, swishing the cool water in her mouth. She grimaced at the foul taste as she spit it back into the sink.

"Mouthwash," she managed to mutter. Her head throbbed, and she rubbed her temples in vain. "And some aspirin."

Will nodded, pulling out a bottle of spearmint mouthwash from the cabinet. He watched as she rinsed and repeated five times before her knees began to tremble.

"Emma," he whispered. "Let it go."

And much to his surprise, she nodded. He pulled out the bottle of aspirin, pouring two pills into her outstretched hand. "Are you sure you can handle swallowing?"

She nodded, taking a dainty sip of water as she downed the two pills.

"Oh, Em, while we're here, let me take a look at your finger."

Emma stiffened as she remembered her cut. She squeezed her eyes closed as she thrust her injured finger toward Will. The cut wasn't too bad at all. A layer of dried blood covered the skin, but Will could tell that the small cut had already begun to heal. He pulled a bottle of rubbing alcohol out of the medicine cabinet and poured the solution onto a cotton ball.

"This is going to sting a bit," Will warned. Emma, who still had her eyes tightly shut, tensed even more. Will gave her hand a gently squeeze. "Ready?"

She nodded.

Will gently dabbed the cut until there was no trace of blood. Just as he had expected, the cut was not bad at all. It barely even looked worse than a paper cut. When he finished cleaning, he brought her finger near his lips, blowing on the wound gently. He found a small band aid and neatly wrapped it around her finger.

"All better," he whispered, kissing her bandaged finger lightly.

"Thanks, Will," she murmured, inspecting her finger. She felt considerably better now that it was covered.

"You're very welcome," he answered, brushing his lips against her temple.

"I need to shower…" Emma murmured, feeling Will's arms slide around her waist. She leant into his embrace, the musky scent of his cologne calming her.

"The shower can wait, Emma," Will muttered, his lips brushing her hair. "You need to lie down right now."

She allowed him to lead her down the hallway back into her room. As she fell back against the pillows, her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably. Will draped the afghan that rested at the bottom of the bed over her shivering body.

"Will you stay?" The words escaped Emma's mouth in a hushed flutter. She was so exhausted that she could hardly form the words.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised, kicking off his shoes and lying down next to her. He took her small hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Emma smiled weakly, fighting to keep her eyes open. Will's free hand strayed to her face as he gently brushed her hair back. "Relax, Emma," he muttered, watching her eyes slowly droop. He continued to stroke her hair until her chest began to rise and fall slowly.

Despite his promise, Will gently pulled his fingers free from Emma's, and he rose from the bed as quietly as he could. Emma only stirred slightly.

He entered the kitchen, gagging slightly from the putrid scent of the vomit. He quickly rinsed out the sink, then pulled out a container of Comet from under the sink. He scrubbed the sink thoroughly three separate times, even though he knew that Emma would insist on redoing it herself once she woke.

He pulled a Clorox wipe from the container to wipe up the small blood stain from the floor. He threw away the can of mandarin oranges, and he carefully covered the bowl of salad with plastic wrap and placed it into the fridge.

It was impossible to tell, at least to Will, that the kitchen had been in a state of disaster just minutes before.

Pleased with his work, he entered her bedroom. He slipped back onto bed next to Emma's sleeping form. He watched her sleep peacefully, her red hair spilling out around, her perfect face content in slumber.

And as Will gently took her limp hand in his own, he wondered how he had survived this long without her.

***

Emma woke to find Will's perfect face resting on the pillow beside her. She smiled, and Will couldn't help but to grin back at her. He loved it when she really smiled—her whole face lit up and her big brown eyes seemed to grow even larger.

He squeezed her hand softly. "You're beautiful."

Emma's stomach flipped as he said the words. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. "I'm a mess."

"A beautiful mess," he contradicted, cupping her chin gently in his hand.

Emma hoisted herself up to a sitting position, feeling much better than before. She took in a deep breath and was relieved to discover that any trace of nausea had passed.

"So you get sick when you see blood?" Will clarified as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Pretty much," Emma mumbled, closing her eyes. Her head fell against Will's shoulder, and he gladly snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

"I really do need to shower now," she murmured into his neck.

He nodded but made no move to release her.

"And I need to clean the kitchen…" she trailed off, trying not to think about the unbearable mess.

"Already done," Will told her proudly.

Emma pulled away from him, surprised. "You cleaned the kitchen?"

He nodded. "It was the least I could do—and you were out like a rock. I know you'll probably want to redo some parts of it, but at least you don't have to start with a mess."

"Gosh, thanks so much, Will," Emma told her, and he knew that she was genuinely thankful.

Finally, she stood, brushing her hair out of her face."I really do need to shower now. And then I have to clean the bathroom, and then—"

"Emma," Will cut her off. "One step at a time. Go take a shower, and then we'll decide what to next."

Emma nodded, liking the sound of "we." She headed out to the hall, grabbing a fresh towel from the linen closet before entering the bathroom. Before closing the door, she turned to see Will standing at the opposite end of the hall.

"I could be a while," she warned him.

"Take your time," he told her. "Do you want me to make you anything to eat?" he offered.

Emma stomach churned at just the mere thought of food. "No thanks, but feel free to find yourself something. I know you must be ravenous."

He nodded, disappearing around the corner into the kitchen.

Emma stood in the hallway a moment longer before turning to go into the bathroom. And as she slipped out of her clothes and into the scalding heat of the shower, she smiled.


	8. Chapter VIII

_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Hope you enjoy._

* * *

Rachel was moping. Properly moping, she liked to call it. She was curled up in a miserable ball on her bed with her pink fleece blanket wrapped securely around her. She had changed into her pajamas right after dinner, and she had neglected to do any homework thus far as she pathetically stared at the ceiling.

Her pitiful pining was interrupted by a soft knock on her door. Rachel scowled, pulling the blanket over her head. She said nothing, knowing that her dads wouldn't bother to wait for her to answer.

Sure enough, she heard the door creak open a moment later.

"Rachel," said the voice the doorway. It was Steve, the more motherly one out of her fathers.

Rachel called both of her dads by their first names, Steve and Greg. When the two had finally become proud fathers, they had decided that it would be best to have their daughter call them by their first names. After all, she couldn't call them both 'dad' without causing confusion, and it wouldn't be fair if she only called one of them 'dad'. Rachel had never minded. In fact, it wasn't until she started school that she had even realized that her family was atypical. Steve and Greg had always been enough for her. Steve had been every bit as caring and understanding as any mother when Rachel got her first period in seventh grade. And Greg had been a shoulder to cry on as he offered reassuring words when Rachel's heart was broken by her first major crush in eighth grade. Through the years, they had battled each one of Rachel's milestones with her just as any parents would, and Rachel never felt like she was missing out on anything by having two dads instead of just one. Rachel hardly ever found herself wishing for another woman in the house—Steve and Greg had raised her. They were her family, and she knew that she would never have had it any other way.

Rachel made no move to remove herself from her blanket shelter as Steve entered the room. She felt him sit down on the edge of bed.

"I made you bug snacks," he told her.

Rachel dared to peek out from under the blanket. Steve held a tray of snacks, each made to look like an insect. Raisins on celery to look like ants on a log, cheese puff centipedes, and vanilla wafer and pretzel spiders.

"Steve," she told him, emerging from her blanket and crossing her arms defiantly across her chest. "You haven't made me bug snacks in ages. I'm much too old for them."

"Nonsense," Steve told her, ruffling her already mussed hair that matched his own hair color so perfectly. "You're never too old for bug snacks. And if I recall correctly, you've had them a few times in the recent past. Remember, I made them for you when you only got second place in the school talent show? And then again when that other girl got to sing Maria from Westside story?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Fine," Rachel huffed, reluctantly reaching out to grab a spider. She chewed slowly on the wafer, feeling a bit better in spite of herself.

"So what's bothering you, honey?" Steve scooted closer to her on the bed. "You've been miserable for weeks now."

Rachel shrugged, reaching for a cheese puff centipede.

"You know you can talk to me about anything," Steve told her, placing the tray down on Rachel's bed. She took an ants on a log celery stalk and chewed on it thoughtfully.

"I know," she told, smiling at him genuinely. She really did love her dads more than anything in the world. "But I don't really want to talk about it. Its stupid, really…"

"None of your problems are stupid, Rachel," Steve reassured her.

"Oh, this one is. I'm just being ridiculous and pathetic…" Rachel trailed off, licking a spot of cream cheese from her thumb.

"Boy trouble?" Steve guessed, knowingly.

"Is it that obvious?" Rachel said, looking intently at her foot. She purposely avoided Steve's gaze.

"Let's just say I've been there," Steve told her, lifting her chin so he could look her in the eye. "Rachel, I know this is the last thing you want to hear right now, and you're going to call me old and corny, but the right guy will come along when you're both ready. And until then, any guy who causes you this much heartache isn't worth it. You're special, Rachel, and you deserve the best."

"Thanks, Steve," said Rachel. He always managed to make her feel better. She untangled herself from her blanket and leant over to wrap Steve in a big hug. "You're the best."

"I'm just doing my job," he mumbled, holding his baby girl tightly in his arms while the moment lasted. "I love you more than apple pie," he recited the old rhyme that he and Rachel had said to each for as long as Rachel could remember.

Rachel smiled, finishing the rhyme as she always did, "And all the raindrops in the sky."

***

Quinn needed to talk to someone. And she did not want that someone to be Puck, but considering that everyone she had once held close to her heart was no longer on speaking terms with her, Puck now seemed to be her only option.

She found him in the basement, listlessly playing videos games on the couch.

"Puck," she mumbled quietly, sure that he hadn't heard her. But he paused his game, looking up at her.

"Quinn," he answered. "Is everything alright?"

_Why the hell does he have to look like that? _Quinn angrily thought to herself. He looked so sincere and endearing as he gazed at her with his warm brown eyes. It made it very difficult to hate him the way she wished to.

"Can…can I talk to you?" she managed to mutter, refusing to look into his gorgeous brown eyes as she said the words.

"Sure. Anything for you, babe," Puck told her, scooting over to make a space for her on the couch.

"Don't call me that," Quinn hissed coldly, sitting down at the far end of the couch, as far away from Puck as she could manage.

He brushed off her remark. "What's bugging you?"

Quinn took in a deep breath, but as she opened her mouth to speak, a strangled sob came out instead. Without hesitation, Puck closed the distance between them on the couch, wrapping Quinn in his arms. He expected her to pull away, but much to his surprise, she leant into his embrace, letting her tears fall.

"Shhh," he soothed her, daring to stroke her hair. He rocked her back and forth gently until her tears subsided.

"You know how I planned to give the baby up for adoption?" Quinn finally managed to mumble. She desperately wanted to pull away from Puck embrace, but somehow, she couldn't make herself. It felt so wonderful to have a warm pair of arms around, and even if it had to be Puck's, Quinn realized she was craving physical comfort.

Puck nodded in response to her question so Quinn continued. "Well, the family that was going to take her had decided that they don't want her anymore…" Quinn trailed off. She had no intention of telling Puck that she had planned to give her baby to the Schuesters. That would stay between her and Terri if she had any say in it.

"Oh, Quinn…" Puck trailed off, trying to think about the appropriate thing to say. "Do you want me to help you find a new family?"

Quinn looked up at him; his eyes were full of genuine sincerity. "You would do that?"

"Of course, babe," he told her, and adding to himself, _I'd do anything for you. _

"Thanks, Puck," Quinn told him, absentmindedly beginning to play with his fingers. "I'm not sure if that's what I want anymore though…I've been thinking a lot, and I thought that I'd, you know, maybe keep her…"

Puck's arms tightened around her as she said the words. "We could do that…I mean, you could, and I'd help you—not like a father exactly, because I know that's not what you want…but I could still help…" he trailed off helplessly.

"Puck," Quinn started, and Puck hung his head, expecting the worse, but her words came as a shock to him. "I'd like that."

Puck smiled, burying his face in her soft blonde hair. "So have you thought of any names yet?"

"Names? Well, sort of…I guess…what would you name her?" Quinn dared to catch his gaze, delighted, in spite of herself, when his face lit up.

"Me? You want my opinion?" Puck was shocked, but a pleasant warm feeling came over him. Quinn wanted _him _to help name their baby. "I dunno…something cool. Like Peyton. Or Riley…something like that…" He turned to look at her face, wondering if she would approve.

Quinn smiled. "Well, those are certainly better than what Finn came up with…but seriously, a unisex name?"

"_You _have a unisex name," Puck defended himself automatically.

"Exactly my point," Quinn told him. "All my life, I've hated my name, especially when there was another Quinn, who happened to be a boy, in my first grade class. I've always wanted a beautiful girly name—one fit for a princess. That's the kind of name I want my daughter to have…"

"So what exactly do you have in mind?" Puck asked, hoping to God that she didn't plan to name their daughter Cinderella or Snow White.

"Well, my favorite name has always been Chloe Isobel…" Quinn voice faded, waiting for Puck's reaction.

"That's so—" Puck made a funny face.

Quinn cut him off. "So girly? Maybe the flow is off…I can think of—"

"No, I was actually going to say pretty. In a good way. I kind of like it…"

"Really?" Quinn felt her cheeks color pleasantly. "You really like it?"

"I think it could grow on me," Puck told her, taking her hands gently in his. She made no move to pull them away. She closed her eyes as she felt Puck's lips rest softly in her hair. She was beginning to realize just how much she needed him now, and resisting that was just making things worse. Maybe she hadn't given Puck a fair chance after all.

They sat in silence for a moment longer before Quinn spoke. "Thanks, Puck. Thanks for everything."

And Puck could only smile.


	9. Chapter IX

_A/N: So I might have been procrastinating on this story a bit :P I did write a couple one shots this week if you want to go check them out. Anyhoo, I was on a roll with this story today. Unfortunately for you guys, I tend to write my stories insanely out of order, so I wrote a ton of the end rather than what happens next chronologically, which means that I'm no closer to updating the next chapter. On the bright side, the ending's looking good for when we get there. _

_You guys are awesome. Keep up the reviews! I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

"Are you feeling better?" Will asked the next morning as he joined Emma in the kitchen.

Emma was preparing a pot of cream-of-wheat on the stove. She turned at the sound of Will's voice, smiling as she answered. "Yes, much better. Thanks for taking care of me."

"My pleasure," he answered, sitting down at the table. He was growing accustomed to the fact that Emma didn't like help in the kitchen, and instead of feeling guilty and idle, he now managed to convince himself that he was actually doing her a favor.

"Oh, I'm sure it was the thrill of your life cleaning up after a vomiting wreck…" Emma told him, spooning the cream-of-wheat neatly into two bowls.

"You'd be surprised," Will told her, automatically standing to help her carry the hot bowls to the table. "I enjoy doing anything with you, Em."

Her cheeks colored slightly. She wasn't sure when he had started calling her 'Em' but she decided she liked it. "What would you like in your cream-of-wheat? I have cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla soy milk."

"What are you having?" Will asked her, trying to remember the last time he had actually eaten cream-of-wheat. Terri had never been big on preparing hot breakfasts.

"I usually just use soy milk and a bit of cinnamon," she told him, pulling the milk from the fridge and the cinnamon out of the spice cabinet.

"I'll have the same," Will said as Emma joined him. She poured the milk into her bowl, stirred it, and then delicately added a pinch of cinnamon.

Will smiled, imitating her technique. He took a bite, thoughtfully swallowing the warm breakfast cereal. "This is really good, Em."

"Really? It's nothing special, really, but I'm glad you like it." She took a bite from her own bowl, enjoying the warm meal. "You have Glee after school today, right?"

"Yeah, it's Thursday," Will nodded, taking another scoop of cream-of-wheat.

"You don't sound too thrilled about it…" Emma looked up to catch his gaze. Glee was his usually his outlet, and Emma knew how much it meant to him.

"It's just been tough recently—no one's that into it anymore. Those three—Puck, Quinn, and Finn—I don't know if they'll ever be able to function as a team again."

"They did at Sectionals," Emma reminded him, taking the bowls into the kitchen once they both had finished.

"I know—and I'm trying to keep reminding them how great they were, but the more time that passes, the more they seem to be falling apart again," Will sighed, watching Emma intently scrub the bowls before placing them in the dishwasher.

"I have an idea," Emma said suddenly, neatly placing the dish detergent packet into its designated spot.

Will looked up in interest, suddenly reminded of all the times that he had gone to Emma for advice in the past.

"How about you split the kids up into groups, you know, sort of like when you did the girls versus the boys? Except this time, you could do three groups, making sure Puck, Quinn, and Finn are all in separate groups. Then have them each prepare their own numbers, and hopefully, without the distractions of the others, they'll be able to come up with something great."

"That's a great idea, Emma," Will told her, feeling a lot more excited about Glee practice as he said the words. "Do you want to help me come up with the groups? I think we still have enough time before I have to leave…"

"I'd love to help," Emma told him, grapping a pen and a pad of from the kitchen drawer. She sat down next to him, spreading the paper out in front of her. "First, we need a list of all the kids. Finn, Quinn, and Puck," she said aloud as she wrote them down.

"Then Rachel, Mercedes, Kurt," Will added, watching as she neatly wrote each name.

"Mike, Matt, Santana, and Brittany," Emma continued.

"And lastly, Artie and Tina," Will finished.

Emma nodded, looking pleased with her neat list. "There are twelve kids, so if we're going to divide them into three groups, that will put four kids in each group…is that too small, Will?"

"No, I think it will work nicely, actually. A lot of the kids usually do a lot of background singing, so I think it will be a nice opportunity for them to get up and do a big part," Will told her, watching as she began to divide a separate sheet of paper into four segments.

"There," she said when she was done. "I was thinking, since we're already splitting up Quinn, Finn, and Puck, why not split up the other kids, too? You know, put the cheerleaders and football players in different groups so they could interact with kids they don't usually hang out with? But it's ultimately your choice," Emma told him.

"I like that idea," Will agree, looking at the list. "So where should we start?"

"Well, let's put Quinn, Finn, and Puck each in separate group first." She wrote down each of their respective names. "Okay," she looked down at the list. "Let's put Brittany with Puck's group…"

"And Mike can be in Quinn's group, and let's put Santana with Finn," Will told her. She wrote each name down on the list, and then neatly crossed out the names they had already used.

"Okay..." Emma bit down on her lip in concentration. Will couldn't help but to think how beautiful she was, the thought causing a small smile to tug at his lips. "Let's put—what are you grinning at?"

"Just thinking about how gorgeous you look this morning," he told her, not at all surprised when he saw the blush creep to her cheeks.

She mumbled something unintelligible, the blush deepening. Then she composed herself, saying, "If my beauty isn't too distracting, let's finish this list. Unless you want to be late…" she trailed off as he approached her, leaning over the table so that their faces were only inches apart.

He chuckled at her remark, his face now so close to hers that he could feel his own breath bounce back at him as it ricocheted off her face. "I'm much too distracted right now to care about something as trivial as being timely."

She closed her eyes as his lips touched hers. As always, they were soft and gentle, and she could taste the cinnamon from the cream-of-wheat in his breath. Usually, the thought of exchanging breakfast remnants through saliva would've repulsed Emma, but for some reason, the cinnamon flavor in Will's breath was only making her want more.

She deepened the kiss, feeling Will eagerly lean closer. She felt his tongue skim her lips, and a shiver went up her spine as she dared to slightly part her lips. As Will leaned forward even further, Emma felt the chair she was sitting on wobble beneath her.

"Wil—"she tried to speak with her lips pressed against his, but the words came too late. The chair toppled over, causing the pair to come crashing to floor.

The pair burst into sudden laughter as Will tried to pull his body off of Emma, but he was laughing so hard that he lost his balance as soon as he tried.

"Em…are you…okay?" he managed to sputter through the relentless laughter.

"I…think…so," Emma tried to catch her breath, feeling tears sprout from the corners of her eyes. "Other than the fact that you're squishing me."

"Am I that heavy?" Will asked her, sarcasm lining his words. He was supporting most of his weight on his right elbow, so he knew that Emma was not entirely crushed beneath him.

"You might need to lose a few pounds," Emma joked, tracing his biceps through the sleeves of his shirt.

"And I think you might need to gain some," he smiled, easily scooping her small body up in his arms.

She let out a shriek as he lifted her from the ground, carrying her bridal style. "Put me down!"

"Make me," he grinned, spinning her around, which only caused her to howl all the more.

She flailed her arms and legs, but Will held her tightly in his grasp a moment longer before placing her gently back on the floor. She smoothed her skirt, taking in a deep breath to compose herself. She glanced up, her eyes catching Will's mischievous grin.

She glared at him.

"I do believe that's my cue to leave," he told her, picking up his brief case and the paper with the unfinished groups off the kitchen table. "But not before I do this."

Will leant in to give her another kiss, biting softly at her lips before pulling away. And before she could say another word, he disappeared out the door.

***

Puck didn't mind waiting for his turn in the bathroom. In fact, most mornings, Quinn left the door cracked open slightly as she carefully did her makeup and hair, and Puck couldn't help but to watch silently from the hallway.

She was so beautiful, Puck decided. Of course, he had always thought this, which is why he had screwed her in the first place. But as he looked at her this morning, noticing the way her soft blonde hair fell gently to her shoulders and the way her stomach curved ever so slightly with her, no, _their_, child, Puck saw a beauty that was much deeper than the sexy blonde cheerleader he had always seen her as.

Without warning, Quinn's face quickly paled, and before Puck could even comprehend this, she fell to her knees, lifting open the toilet lid as she vomited.

Puck pushed open the door, dropping to her side before he could stop himself. He gently pulled her hair back as he had seen his mother do with his little sister in the past. He waited patiently as she emptied the contents of her stomach. When she finished, he handed her a Kleenex to wipe so she could wipe her mouth.

"Thanks, Puck," she managed to mutter as she shakily rose to her feet. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know," he told her, gently grabbing her arm so she wouldn't fall over. "Do you want to stay home from school today?"

"No," Quinn told him, then smiling weakly. "I'm used to this…of course, I did think my morning sickness would be over by now. It's supposed to end after the first trimester, and I'm already at fourteen weeks."

"I'm going to pretend I understood that," he told her, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"I forgot you don't speak pregnancy," Quinn told him. "I can't really blame you though. Let's just say the internet's been becoming my best friend ever since…this happened." Here, Puck looked at her guiltily, and Quinn quickly continued before their memories could have a chance to return to that fateful night. "Anyway, I'm about four months pregnant now, and the first three months is considered that first trimester, which is when most women get the most morning sickness. I'm just a little pissed it's lasting this long…"

"Is it…normal to have it this long…I mean, should we see a doctor or anything?" Puck was beginning to wonder if he should start looking this stuff up online as well.

Quinn laughed in spite of herself, finding his sudden concern to be adorable. "It's certainly not unheard of, and Puck, I promise, if it gets any worse, we'll go see a doctor. And since when have you started caring this much?" Sure, Puck had been supportive throughout the pregnancy and had even offered to pay the doctor's bill when Finn couldn't, but his sweetness and concern had been over the top recently, especially since she had moved in.

"Quinn," he told her, the honesty evident in his voice. "I care about you. I really do. Like, I really care about you and not in a way that I just want to screw you or something."

For Puck, that was about most sincere thing he could've told her, so Quinn answered with a response that matched his sincerity. "Puck, I think you're going to make a great dad."

* * *

_A/N: So this chapter turned out a lot differently than I planned it too, but I think it worked out for the better. Who doesn't love some Wemma fluff? :P_

_So some questions for you:_

_Puck does have a little sister, right? Do we know what her name is and approximately how old she is?_

_The kids were (sort of) divided into groups this chapter. This is the part I'm bad at, choosing songs for them to sing. Though I'm not sure how much I will actually incorporate the actual singing in my story, I do want to have songs picked out just to make my story more authentic. What songs would you like to see each group sing? _

_Even though Will and Emma don't know this yet, this is how the groups will turn out:_

_Puck, Brittany, Kurt, Tina_

_Quinn, Mike, Mercedes, Artie_

_Finn, Santana, Matt, Rachel_

_Hope that helps a little..._

_Thanks guys. You rock. _


	10. Chapter X

_A/N: Over 100 reviews! *squeals* That always makes me excited :P_

* * *

Emma was left dumbfounded by Will's kiss, and it took a minute for her to regain her composure once he had left. Emma sighed, looking around the empty apartment, feeling lonelier than she had in ages. Being perfectly honest, Emma missed her job, and not just because it allowed her to see Will. Her job had become her life. Emma had virtually no friends outside of her acquaintances from the McKinley High staff. Resigning from her old position had really opened her eyes to what a pathetic life she led. She could only be grateful that she now had Will to spend time with her in the evenings.

This was the only thing that had Emma motivated to look for a job. She did not currently need the money. Emma had always been one to save, and she knew that she had more than enough savings stashed away to last her for quite a while. And Will had insisted on paying for half the expense of groceries and her apartment rent, persisting that it was only fair considering the circumstances.

But Emma was picky, no matter how lonely and bored she was. She now realized how much she loved her old job, and nothing else seemed worth the effort to suffer through day after day.

She looked at her agenda for the day, pleased to see that her library books were due. A trip to the public library was a good excuse to get out of the house.

Emma was a reader, or at least she had become one in recent years. She loved romance novels from any era that took her away from her drab lifestyle to the wonderful love stories of characters she idolized. In the beginning of her obsession with the books that told stories of what she believed her own life could never become, Emma had bought them online and had them delivered, crisp and new and hardly ever touched. But as her cravings for the stories grew, she realized how ridiculous it was, even for her, to buy a new novel every time she wished to read one. So she had dared to face the gruesome interior of the public library to fixate her obsession. Some of the books, she realized, were not terribly disgusting, while others she could hardly bear to look at because of all the stains that lined the pages. She took care to always where gloves while handling any of these books, and she always carried them back and forth to the library in a bag she had designated specifically for library books. She had grown to love the library, and though it was anything but the cleanest place, it gave her a certain comfort to be surrounded by the rows and rows of books.

Emma carefully took her stack—six books total—and placed them into her bag. She realized that she still had one unfinished novel, which hardly ever happened, and it made her smile that she was not relying on the books so much anymore. She was beginning to live her own romantic story which was so much greater than what any book could offer.

The library was close, only a ten minute drive, so she arrived there shortly, carefully carrying her bag through the door. The book drop was in the back of the library, which Emma could never figure out the exact reason why, and she had to make her way through the kids' section to reach it. Emma found kids to be adorable, but she liked them much better from a distance. Children were easily the dirtiest and snottiest people she knew, and it made her skin crawl just to think about all the infections their tiny hands could be harboring. She tried not to look at the kids drooling and wiping their noses all over the books and toys provided in the play area as she quickly passed through, practically squeezing her eyes shut as she did.

She was so distracted that she did not notice the girl, muttering to herself as she sifted through a stack of papers, standing in front of her. Emma crashed head long into her and dropping her bag of books in the process.

"I'm so sorry!" the girl, a young Asian woman, spoke before Emma could utter a word. "Clumsy me—I'm still just learning my way around here, and I should've been paying more attention. You see, I'm new at all of this and I was just sorting through these papers—there I think I'm finished!" She placed the papers down in a messy pile on the desk beside her.

Emma had meant to apologize because in all fairness, it was her fault and not the girl's, but the words of the girl interested her. "You work here?" Emma knew that it would probably only be volunteer work, but the thought of getting out of the house for a couple hours a week to one of the public places she could handle being in for an extended period of time seemed like it might be the perfect pastime until she could find a suitable job.

"Well, I guess you could say that, but it's not really a job because we don't actually get paid. It's just volunteer work. You see, I just graduated from Ohio State—I majored in Political Science, and I'm still searching for a job. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do yet, which isn't really helping. And still I'm living with my parents, and they don't want me just sitting around all day so I got this volunteer job until I can find a job…" she trailed off, smiling a little too widely.

Emma stared at her, a bit dumbfounded that someone could say so much so quickly. She opened her mouth to speak, but the girl promptly interrupted her. "I'm sorry. I talk a lot, I know, and it freaks people out a little, and now I'm rambling…I should probably just go now…"

"No, don't go just yet," Emma smiled at her genuinely. It was obvious that this girl was insecure with herself, and the guidance counselor in Emma was beginning to kick in. "I think it's great that you're so outgoing. You probably make a lot of friends that way."

"Well, sometimes. But as I said, it really does freak some people out. Like this one time when I met this kid—"

Emma cut her off, anticipating a long, drawn out story that would probably end up not even being completely relevant to her point. "So you volunteer here. How would I go about, you know, volunteering myself?"

"Oh, so you have some free time? Because we're actually short on volunteers so we need people to take longer shifts, but if you can't, it's probably okay because we need people regardless," the girl answered in a rush.

"I'm sort of between jobs right now, so I have more than enough free time, and I am looking for an excuse to get out of the house," Emma told her, shifting the pile of books in her hands.

"Okay, I'll take you to the reference desk right away, and Sadie can get you started. Sadie's the one who's in charge of the volunteer program here. She's such a sweet lady, really. She's always telling stories about her grandchildren and cats. I love stories. I love it when people tell them to me, and I also love telling them, though I'm not sure which I like more. Maybe I like them equally—Oh, we should probably return your books before we head upstairs. Why are you wearing plastic gloves, anyway, if you don't mind me asking? Because if you do, then don't answer, because I don't want to pry if it's personal. I don't mean to make people uncomfortable but sometimes I do when I don't mean to, so just tell me if it's making you uncomfortable, and I'll drop it," here the girl paused to take a breath and Emma quickly answered before she could proceed.

"No, its fine that you asked. I mean, it's not really that normal to wear plastic gloves in a library, so it's only fair that you ask." Emma didn't like telling people about her mysophobia when she first met them. They tended to write her off as a freak as soon as they found out that she was morbidly afraid of anything remotely messy. But on the other hand, it was something so prevalent and part of Emma's life that it was almost impossible to meet someone new and not have them find out about her obsessive tendencies. And this girl seemed like a sweet, genuine girl behind her annoying jabbering, and she had been honest with Emma, so Emma felt that is was only right to be honest in return. "I have a problem with germs. I guess you could kind of call me a germaphobe, and library books aren't always the cleanest things, so I have to take precautions when touching them."

Of course, the girl answered right away."I can understand. Sort of, at least. Not that I'm a germaphobe, but still I have my own quirks and fears, so I do know kind of what its like. And I don't think its weird or anything, just so you know…" she trailed off a bit awkwardly, and Emma could tell that she hoped she had not hurt her feelings. They had now reached the book drop, and the girl helped Emma deposit her pile into the book return.

"Thanks, um…" Emma realized that she still didn't know the girls name, and she trailed off awkwardly.

"Holly. I'm Holly Wu," she reached her hand out to shake Emma's. "Oh, if you're uncomfortable shaking hands then I won't be offended or anything."

Emma still had the glove on her hand, so she reached out to graciously accept the gesture. "I'm Emma Pillsbury. It's nice to meet you, Holly."

Holly smiled. "Come on. I'll take you upstairs to the reference desk, and then you can get started right away. I'm really excited that you'll be helping out here. I mean, not that I know you well or anything, but I like you already. You're a good listener. And you didn't write me off like a lot of people do, and I really appreciate that."

Emma's heart ached for the girl as she said the words. "Well, I can only say the same about you. My fear of germs tends to turn people away pretty quickly, so I do know how you feel."

Holly smiled again, leading Emma up the steps. "I'm glad we met. I think we were destined to. Do believe in stuff like fate and predestination? I've always been torn about stuff like that—like are our lives really predetermined? Or is it just coincidence that we run into the people and situations we do everyday? It's all so complicated that I don't know what to believe!"

Emma thought of Will as Holly said the words. It couldn't have just been a mere coincidence that the only man who could calm her, the one man who she could touch without thinking about the million of germs that were transferred to her skin, the only man that made her heart melt every time her eyes locked with his, had now moved in with her. "I think I believe in fate to a certain extent," she finally told Holly.

"I think that's how I am, too. I mean, seriously, some things just turn out way to perfectly for it to be a coincidence. Here we are." Holly motioned toward the reference desk where an elderly lady sat stamping books. "Hi, Sadie. This is Emma Pillsbury. She's interested in volunteering."

"How lovely," Sadie answered, looking up with a warm smile. Emma could feel the grandmotherly love radiating from her and couldn't help but to smile in return. "It's nice to meet you, Emma. I'm Sadie McKay."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. McKay," Emma extended her gloved hand and was relieved when Sadie made no comment.

"Oh, please, call me Sadie. Everyone does," she told Emma. She rummaged through the papers in the filing cabinet behind her, pulling a sheet and handing it to Emma. "Here you go. Just fill this out, and then we'll be good to go. And here's a pen."

"Oh, um, no thanks," Emma muttered, pulling her own pen out of her purse. "I have my own pen, thank you."

Holly smiled sympathetically at her as she began to fill out the volunteer questionnaire. Holly was oddly silent as Emma answered each question, until she reached the question that asked what days of the week she was free.

"Oh, I volunteer on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays," Holly blurted. "Just so you know. You don't have to pick those days or anything. Especially just because I do those days. I can totally understand if those days won't work, or if you just don't want to volunteer on those days for some reason…" she trailed off as Emma circled Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and Holly looked quite pleased.

When she finished the form, she handed it back to Sadie. "Thank you, dear. I see you included your email address, so I will email you as soon as I review this and see what hours would be best for you to work. Have a nice day, Emma. And you too, Holly."

Emma mumbled a quick thank you and goodbye as she and Holly turned to head back down the steps.

"This is fantastic!" Holly exclaimed. "I'm so excited for you to start—it should be pretty soon. Sadie is so good about getting the applications read over pretty quickly. Oh, do you want me to renew that for you?" She noticed the book that still remained in Emma's bag.

"That'd be great, Holly. Thanks," Emma told her, handing her the book.

She followed Holly to the circulation desk, and Holly quickly checked out the book for her. "Even though I'm pretty new myself, maybe Sadie will let me be your mentor to show you how things work. That would be great, wouldn't it Emma?"

"I would like that a lot, Holly," Emma told her, smiling at the girl. She knew that Holly was going to be handful, but she was already beginning to see beyond Holly's annoying exterior to the sweet girl she truly was on the inside. Plus, it had been years since Emma had had a proper friend, and she was already beginning to like the feel of it. "Thanks for everything, Holly. Hopefully I'll be seeing you soon."

"Bye, Emma. It was so nice meeting you!" Holly waved as Emma headed out the door.

And as Emma headed to her car, she decided it had been a fairly successful day.

* * *

_A/N: Pictures of Holly and Sadie are on my profile, right under my beta victims as always. _

_So what do you think of Holly? As far as I can figure, you're either going to love her or hate her :P_

_And I promise, Holly is just not an excuse for me to come up with more original characters. This whole library plot with Holly will be quite relevant to future events in the story. _


	11. Chapter XI

_A/N: I made a mistake in chapter IX. It should be Thursday, not Wednesday. Just wanted to clear that up. _

_

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_

Will slung his bag hastily over his shoulder as he headed toward the school, practically at a running pace. He was late, just as Emma had predicted, but he didn't regret it for a moment. He could still feel the taste of her lips burning against his skin, and even as he hurried through the entrance doors, he couldn't help but to wish he were still back at the apartment with Emma.

As he slipped through the doors, the late bell rang, and he shuffled quickly down the halls, feeling more like a teenage delinquent than a teacher.

As he stepped into his classroom, he was greeted by the lively chatter of his students as they took advantage of his tardiness.

"You're late, Mr. Schue," Rachel pointed out the obvious as she studiously sat in her front row seat.

"Lo siento," Will muttered, trying to get himself organized. He opened up his planner, trying to figure out exactly what was on his agenda for the day.

Rachel sighed heavily, watching Will flounder in his disorganized state. "We had to complete workbook pages forty five and forty six last night for homework. You said you were going to collect them and grade them for accuracy. You said that today we would review the preterite tense endings and do an activity in pairs so that we could practice for the quiz that is coming up tomorrow."

"Thanks, Rach," Will couldn't help but to smile at his most motivated student. "I owe it to you."

Rachel smiled proudly. "If you'd like I'll collect the homework for you while you get organized."

He nodded, and Rachel rose, whispering to Will before completing her task, "So you and Miss Pillsbury were getting it on this morning?" She raised an eyebrow. After all, she did consider herself to be physic.

"Rachel, I thought we talked about not mentioning my living arrangements," Will murmured under her breath, trying to push away the inevitable blush that rose to his cheeks.

Rachel only raised her eyebrows knowingly as she began to collect the homework assignment, but she respectively acknowledged her teacher's request and dropped the topic.

The rest of Will's morning was pleasantly uneventful, and he found himself eating lunch in the faculty room once again, in hopes that he would be able to catch Bill McNavage and convince him to change his Cheerio tryouts, though it was becoming rather last minute now.

As he waited, he pulled out the neatly written list that Emma and he had been working on that morning, trying to figure out the rest of the groups.

"Hey, cowboy," a voice interrupted his thought, and he cringed when he realized that he could already connect the icy voice to the unsettling person it belonged to.

"Hi, Lilah," he muttered, not even bothering to look up as she placed her lunch tray on the table and sat down heavily beside him.

Lilah sighed, attempting to catch his attention, but Will purposely ignored her obvious huff of breath. He hoped she would take the cue to leave, but of course, she only took the chance to be as annoying as ever. "What's that you're working on?"

Will bit down on his lip, trying not to reply with a curt remark. "Just dividing my Glee kids into groups. I'm trying to mix things up a little and put them with people they don't usually gravitate toward. Emma and I didn't finish this morning…" he trailed off, licking his lips in concentration. He wished Emma were here to help him finish; she would've been able to divide them up perfectly, but Will was having a little bit of trouble getting the groups to work out exactly right.

"Emma?" Lilah asked, a tone of curiosity lining her voice, and Will cursed himself for being so careless with his words. "Is that the woman Ken Tanaka brought up the other day at lunch?"

Will placed the pen down on the table, sighing heavily. Lilah looked at him, her eyes growing wide as she stared at him innocently, and Will caved in. After all, what _was _the point of hiding his growing relationship with Emma as though it were some sort of sin? Though the divorce to Terri had yet to be finalized, in Will's mind, the marriage had been officially broken as soon as she had betrayed her trust.

"Emma was the previous guidance counselor before you—she resigned for complicated, personal reasons." Will looked up gauging Lilah's reaction. Her eyes were peaked with intense curiosity as she hung onto each word. "Ken and Emma had been dating—in fact, they had even been engaged," Will practically cringed as he said the words. It had been the worst match conceivable, but that hadn't make it any less painful for Ken when it had ended, and Will couldn't help but to feel increasingly guilty for essentially ruining it for Ken.

He looked at Lilah, unsure of how to continue, but Lilah smiled at him understandingly. "But you and Emma had some, shall we say chemistry, going on between you?"

Will nodded helplessly. "Is it that obvious?"

"I can just tell by the way that you talk about her that she means a lot to you," Lilah explained, a note of understanding in her words. "So whether you two acted on this chemistry or not doesn't matter. It was probably obvious, regardless, and despite the fact that you tried to stop it, fate had its way and you two ended together."

"You don't even need me to tell it," Will laughed bitterly, glancing up at Lilah, who looked quite smug as she dug into her lunch, which was once again an unidentifiable substance.

"I guess that's the guidance counselor in me," she shrugged. "But I do find you easy to read. Like we have a connection, or something."

Will's stomach twisted uncomfortably as she said the words.

"Though there is something I'm unsure of," Lilah trailed off, and Will snapped his gaze up, curious as to what Lilah was digging at. "Why wouldn't you and Emma have ended up together in the first place? Unless you are…" she trailed off, glancing at his hand in search for a ring.

"My wife and I are currently going through a divorce," Will admitted, awkwardly rubbing his fourth finger where his ring had rested for so long.

"I'm sorry," Lilah whispered, sympathetically reaching out to place her cold hand gently on top of Will's. "If you ever need to talk, I'm always willing to listen."

"Thanks, Lilah," he muttered, only to be courteous. But he couldn't imagine actually taking her up on the offer. After all, he had Emma for that. Emma was his comfort, his voice of reason, and he had only begun to realize that more and more as he went through this difficult time.

Before Lilah could reply, Will saw Bill McNavage enter through the door of the faculty room. "Excuse me," he mumbled, pulling out his chair and approaching the muscular man.

"Bill McNavage, um, I was wondering if I could have a quick word with you." Up close, Bill McNavage looked even more frightening as his muscles bulged through the sleeves of his form fitting shirt. Will gulped, chastising himself for being ridiculous. He hadn't even given the guy a fair chance yet.

Bill McNavage turned toward him, glaring down at Will. He said nothing, and Will took his silence as his cue to speak.

"I know this is late notice, but I only just found out yesterday that you already have Cheerio tryouts planned for this afternoon. I have my Glee Club on Thursday, and two of the girls who plan to try out for the team are a big part of my club, so I was just wondering if we could work out something that wouldn't conflict with either of our schedules…" he trailed off, gauging Bill's reaction. His expression remained tough and emotionless.

"No can do," the coach told him, his gruff voice matching his personality. "The time is set, and it doesn't change, Curly."

Will cringed at the nickname "I'm Will Schuester," he hastily introduced himself, and realizing that he had probably lost this one, he added "it's just for today, right? I'm sure Principal Figgins and you have worked out a schedule with your Cheerios that doesn't interfere with any other extracurricular activities that your girls might want to participate in?" He asked hopefully, knowing that even when Sue had been coach, Figgins had made sure that things were moderately fair.

"I have to pick my team first. That will determine how often I need to have practice, Curly." He turned away, opening an energy bar, and Will knew that was the most he was going to get out of him.

He sighed, returning the table with Lilah to finish his lunch. He found Lilah intently studying his list, and he gave her a curious look.

"Sorry," she apologized, pushing the paper back toward him. He saw that she had scribbled on it in her messy scrawl. "I know I don't know the students very well yet, but I couldn't help but to fiddle around with the groups a little." She looked at him expectantly, awaiting his approval.

Will glanced at the list, reading Lilah's grouping out loud as he did so. "Puck, Brittany, Kurt, and Rachel. Quinn, Matt, Mercedes, and Artie. And Finn, Santana, Mike, and Tina—those actually look pretty good," Will said, unable to hide his surprise. Either Lilah was lucky, or she picked up on people's personalities pretty quickly.

"Just one thing I want to change—I want to put Rachel in Finn's group. He's been pretty down lately, and I know that Rachel is one of the only ones who can get him motivated. Thanks, Lilah." This time, he really meant it.

And as Lilah grinned back at him, he decided that maybe her smile wasn't so frightening after all.

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_A/N: Ugh. Transition chapters suck. Sorry. But there is some wonderful Emma/Will goodness coming up soon. So bear with me._

_You guys rock. 120 reviews. Keep it up; I love the feedback_


	12. Chapter XII

_A/N: Well, I really don't have a good excuse for why it took me so long to write this chapter. I'm just lazy :P But here it is. I hope you enjoy it!_

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"Okay, guys, I know we're missing some people today, but I'm going to divide you into groups," Will told his Glee kids as they filed in the choir room for practice after school.

He scanned the room, knowing that Brittany and Santana would be gone, but he was surprised to see that Quinn was absent as well. He looked toward Puck, whom he had noticed Quinn gravitating toward in the past week.

"Do you know where Quinn is, Puck?" he asked.

Puck jerked his head up, "Hmm?" He looked concerned as his brown creased, and Will could tell his mind was elsewhere. Will repeated his question.

"I don't know…that's what I'm trying to figure out. She threw up before school this morning, so maybe she went to the nurse…can I go check, Mr. Schue?"

Will hesitated, hating to have four absent at once, but he could tell that Puck would not relax until he knew Quinn's whereabouts. "Okay," he told him. "But make it quick."

Puck nodded and practically leapt from his chair as he left the room.

Will turned toward the rest of the kids. He looked hesitantly toward Finn, who had shown little interest during the previous exchange, and Will noted that he looked just as in different as usual as he chose to tune out the rest of the world.

A few seats over, Rachel watched Finn, her eyes filled with concern.

_The groups, _Will reminded himself. It seemed silly now to think that an idea as trivial as dividing the kids into groups would fix anything, but it was worth a shot. It was all he had left if he were going to bring his group to Regionals, and not mention Nationals.

Will cleared his throat. "As I was saying, I've decided to divide you guys into groups, and it will be your responsibility to meet with your group outside of Glee club and prepare a number by next Thursday."

The kids glanced at each other with anticipation, the way students always did when a teacher announced that he was picking the groups, and Will was sure he'd get a few unhappy glares once the students realized how he had split them up.

"All right, first group. I want you guys to sit on the left side of the room if I call your name—Puck, Brittany, Kurt, and Tina."

Kurt and Tina exchanged glances at they picked up their bags to sit on the left side of the room. Kurt looked anything but pleased, and Tina looked small and frightened as she let her long dark hair fall over her face.

Will bit his lip as he looked at the only two group members who were present. "It will be your job to keep Puck and Brittany updated to let them know what's going on."

Kurt glared at him, as Will had suspected, and Tina only nodded solemnly, looking wistfully in Artie's direction.

"All right!" Will tried his best to lighten the pessimistic tone in the room. "Next group—you guys will sit here in the center of the room—Quinn, Matt, Mercedes, and Artie."

Mercedes smiled at Artie as she sat down beside his wheelchair. Matt sat down, leaving a gap of a few chairs between him and Mercedes, looking less than pleased about the situation.

"Okay. You guys need to let Quinn know what's going on." The three kids nodded, so Will proceeded. "And the last group—Finn, Santana, Mike, and Rachel."

"Mr. Schue, this is _fantastic!" _Rachel exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement as she sat down on the right side of the room.

Even Finn lifted his head and smiled vaguely as he sat down next to Rachel. Mike cracked a smile as he sat down on the opposite side of his football buddy.

"Mr. Schue, this is completely unfair!" Kurt exclaimed as he glanced toward the content third group.

"Kurt," Will warned. "I picked the names for the groups randomly," he lied, "so there will be no complaining."

Kurt sighed dramatically as he took his seat next to Tina.

"So, guys," Will addressed the group. "I want you to choose a Disney song to perform next week."

"What?" Mike sputtered, glancing around the room for some support from his fellow peers. Matt nodded in agreement, and Mercedes and Kurt exchanged quizzical looks.

"That's right," Will told them, handing each group a list of classic Disney songs. "I thought it would be fun—something pretty light hearted after, you know—" he trailed off, watching as Finn ducked his head to stare intently at his feet.

"Well, _I _think it's a fantastic idea," Rachel assured him, glancing over the list quickly. "Can we do costumes?"

"You can do whatever you want with this—as long as all group members are involved and you have it ready to present next Thursday. Oh, and keep it appropriate," he added with a wink, and Rachel blushed, knowing that he was half serious.

"For the rest of practice, I want you guys to agree on a song and start coming up with some ideas."

The kids nodded, and soon, the pleasant hum of conversation began to fill the room. And Will smiled as he picked up random bits of their conversations."

"Which song do you think Puck would hate the most?" Kurt said mischievously as he and Tina scanned the list.

"There are _so _many songs, and I absolutely _love _them all!" Rachel enthusiastically told her group.

"Pocahontas was my favorite Disney movie when I was little," Mercedes told her group, "so I think we should do a song from that movie."

Will grinned, eager to go home to tell Emma of their success.

***

Puck had not found Quinn in the nurse's office. Frantically, he tried to think of another place that Quinn could be…_maybe the guidance office, _he told himself, heading down the familiar hallway.

Though he had recently met Lilah, the messy state of the office still came as a shock to him as he entered the office. If anything, it was even more cluttered that it had been only days before.

And it was empty. Even Lilah was absent from the chaos so Puck quickly left, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket so her could text her to make sure everything was okay.

As he waited for a reply to his text, he decided to rush down to the football stadium, in hope of catching Santana or Brittany before they started tryouts. If anyone knew about Quinn's whereabouts, it would be one of those two.

Puck caught them just in time as they exited the locker room.

"San, Brit—have either of you seen Quinn?" Puck panted, catching his breath as the two girls turned sharply on their heels to face him.

"I don't talk to that bitch anymore," Santana huffed, stomping onto the track without another word.

Brittany looked hesitantly between Puck and her best friend. Puck grabbed her arm before she could make a hasty decision.

"Please, Brit," he begged her. "If you know something, please tell me. Not for me, but for Quinn. I just want to make sure she's okay."

Brittany bit her lip, deep in thought. "Well, she did come down here earlier. I overheard her talking to Mr. McNavage—that's the new coach. Something about trying out for the Cheerios again." Puck's eyes widened as she said the words. Of course Quinn would want to try out for the Cheerios as soon as Sue Sylvester was out of the picture. "I'm not really sure what happened, but I did see Quinn storm away in tears…" Brittany trailed off, glancing toward the track to search for Santana, who had disappeared.

"But you don't know where she went?" Puck prodded, trying to regain Brittany's attention.

"Nope," she told him. "Maybe to the bathroom. That's where most girls go to cry, at least."

Puck snapped his eyes up and thanked Brittany profusely as he turned to leave.

"Wait," Brittany told him before he had a chance to dash. "Tell Mr. Schue I'm sorry I didn't go to Glee practice."

Puck nodded, giving Brittany a sincere smile. As he entered the school once again, he headed toward the girls' bathroom on the first floor, wondering if he should heed Brittany's advice. After all, it was very cliché to cry in the bathroom, but then again, the popular notion only made it more believable.

He placed his ear against the door tentatively, pleased when he heard the sound of muffled sobs. He knocked softly on the door. The crying stopped.

He glanced around, to make sure no one else was around, and he gently pushed the door open.

"Quinn," he whispered softly into the seemingly empty bathroom.

He heard a staggered breath come from the last stall. "I know you're in here—please come out."

A moment later, a very blotchy faced Quinn emerged from the stall, unable to look Quinn in the eye as she approached him.

Puck wrapped his arms securely around her before she could protest, and another sob escaped her parted lips as she leant into the embrace.

"Why are you here?" she mumbled into his neck, clinging to him desperately, trying not to admit to herself how much she needed him.

"When you didn't show up at Glee I was really worried…Quinn, you're all I think about now. You and the baby, and I'm so scared of what could happen to you two…" he trailed off, stroking her hair as she practically collapsed against him.

"I thought I wanted to be alone," she told him, her lips brushing against the smooth skin of his neck as she said the words. "But I didn't realize how much I needed you."

The words hung between the delicately, and Quinn pulled herself away from Puck so she could see his eyes.

"I never loved Finn." The words poured from her mouth, and though she wanted to turn her gaze away from Puck's endearing eyes, she forced herself to keep the painful eye contact.

"Then—what about—Quinn, I don't—" Puck stuttered over the words, feeling hurt, shocked, relieved all at once.

Quinn took a shaky breath before proceeding. "I thought I did—loved him, I mean. We were meant to be together, at least in everyone's book. The head cheerleader and the quarterback. And he was sweet—always so sweet, so matter how stupid and naïve he could be. And I wanted that. I wanted our picture perfect relationship. One my daddy would approve of, one that would set me above all the other girls in this school. But it didn't work that way—because there was you. And you messed everything up, and I just wanted to go back to how I always thought things should be. That's why I told Finn it was his baby…that's why I ran away from you. You were everything that was wrong for me. But I don't care. Because I'm sick of running away, sick of being someone I'm not—and Puck, I need you. This baby needs you…" She never broke eye contact, watching as Puck's eyes took in every single one of her words.

Hesitantly, he leant in to brush his lips softly against her. Quinn closed her eyes as she relished the kiss, their first real kiss. When he pulled away, Quinn smiled.

He laced his hand through hers as he led her from the bathroom.

"I think there's still about fifteen minutes left in Glee practice—want to head down to the choir room?"

Quinn nodded, wiping her face with her free hand. "Can you tell I was crying?"

"Barely," Puck told her. "And if you don't mind me asking, what did Mr. McNavage say to you?"

"It doesn't really matter," Quinn muttered, glancing down at her swollen abdomen. "A lot of stuff Coach Sylvester would've said—he's like a male version of her," she added sarcastically.

Puck chuckled in spite of himself. "I thought Sue Sylvester was already a male version of herself."

Quinn could not suppress the bout of giggles that followed. She had to stop to catch her breath, grinning up a Puck. When she had calmed her breathing, she turned to Puck, lacing her arms around his neck.

"At this rate, we'll never make it to practice," Puck mumbled, tasting her sweet breath on his lips.

"They can wait a few more minutes. They've already waited for us this long," Quinn reminded him, and without hesitation, she closed the distance between their lips once again.

* * *

_A/N: Well, well, well....that was sort of unexpected. I didn't plan for this chapter to turn out this way, but Quinn and Puck just have a mind of their own :P_

_Oh, and I would LOVE ideas for what songs each group should sing. This should be fun for you guys to come up with. _

_By the way, thanks to **Bella-with-the-blue-eyes** for the Disney songs idea. _

_And I promise there will be some cute Wemma goodness next chapter. (I can saftely promise this because I already have most of the next chapter written, and I'm VERY excited about it :P)_

_You guys rock. Keep those lovely reviews coming!_


	13. Chapter XIII

_A/N: The long awaited Wemma chapter!!! I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Emma hated letting the bananas sit on her countertop to become over ripe and spotted with brown, but fresh bananas just didn't work well in banana bread. The soft, mushy bananas gave the bread a sweeter flavor, and the only way Emma could justify using them was the fact that she took pride in completing a recipe to perfection. And the fact that the high temperature of the oven would kill any trace of bacteria.

She stirred the mushy mixture meticulously, glancing at the clock as she waited for Will to arrive home. The thought made her giddy, baking at home as she waited for Will, almost as though she were his wife. She couldn't wait to tell him about her day and her success at the library, and she was anxious to see how his groups had turned out.

She glanced up at the clock again, pouting slightly when she realized only a minute had passed. She couldn't believe that it had been less than a week since Will had moved in. It already felt like an eternity, and she could hardly remember how she had survived the endless days without him.

She finished stirring the batter just as the front door opened. She immediately abandoned her baking project in order to greet Will.

"I have a surprise for you," Will told Emma upon entering the apartment.

She turned, coming from the kitchen, seeing that he indeed was hiding something behind his back. She glanced at him curiously.

"Well, I kept thinking about how lonely it must be for you to be here alone all day, so, completely on a whim, I went to the pet store to get you a companion."

"Th-the pet store?" Emma stammered. Emma hated animals. They were messy and smelly, and even if they were cute, they were so not worth the trouble. Emma smiled weakly, pretending to be interested in the "thing" behind Will's back, wondering what sort of disgusting furry creature he had bought for her.

Will immediately saw the concern on her face and answered quickly."Don't worry, I didn't get you a dog or a cat—though I hear they do make wonderful companions. Though it can't do much, I couldn't resist, and I thought you just might enjoy it." Will pulled his hands from behind his back to reveal a small goldfish with black spots and fins.

Emma let out a sigh of relief, smiling in spite of herself. "Aw, Will, that was _really _sweet of you."

She took the bag from Will's hand and carefully examined the little fish. A fish would be very manageable. She would not have to touch it or play with it, and she could even manage feeding it if she wore a pair of gloves. And a fish tank would be easy to keep clean.

"So you like it?" Will watched as she carefully held the bag, watching the little fish swim back and forth.

"I love it!" Her words were filled sincerity. "Now I just have to name her…"

"Her? I thought it looked more like a 'him.'" Will contradicted, taking a closer look at the fish. "I mean, look at those black markings…it even looks like he has a little mustache. Definitely male."

"I beg to differ," Emma told him, delighting in their mock argument. "She has a certain femininity about her …"

"I can't believe our goldfish is having a gender crisis," Will sighed, pulling a bowl, a bag of pebbles, and a cute little plastic house of out his bag.

Emma lifted the bag, taking another look at the fish. "Maybe it does look a little masculine after all…"

"See? I _told _you," Will looked quite smug as he poured the blue pebbles into the bottom of the bowl.

"Now wait, I didn't say he looked _completely _masculine. Maybe he's gay," Emma mused as Will took the bowl over to the sink to fill it with water.

Will almost dropped the bowl as he broke out into uncontrollable laughter. "A gay goldfish? Seriously, Emma?"

"It could happen," Emma defended, smiling as she looked at the fish.

Will placed the filled water bowl on the ledge that separated the kitchen and the living room.

"What do we do? Untie the bag and dump it in?" Emma asked, suddenly not liking the idea of having the goldfish _out _of the bag. She thought it was quite nice too look at in this secure bag where it could not accidently end up on her carpet.

"The guy at the pet store said to place the whole bag in the water for about an hour so the water temperature change isn't such a shock to it," Will told her.

Emma gently placed the bag into the bowl, looking lovingly at the little fish. "There you go, little fishy."

"So what are you going to name him?" Will asked, chuckling slightly.

"I never was very good at naming things," Emma admitted. "I mean, my stuffed bear was called Bear, and we had a stray cat that liked to hang around our house that I named Kitty…maybe I'll just call him Fishy."

"Come on, Em, you can be more creative than that," Will prodded, looking at the container of water filter tablets he had purchased, trying to figure out exactly how they worked.

"Well, um, I guess I could call him Will. Will Jr.," she grinned at Will.

"Well, as honored as I am to have him named after me, I don't know how I feel about having a gay goldfish named after me," Will joked, placing the tablet in the bowl so the water would be treated when they let the fish out of the bag.

"Well, if you see so strongly about the matter, I suppose I'll have to come up with something else," Emma told him, smiling slyly as she glanced at the fish. "I've got it—Wilma."

Will could not contain his laughter as he caught Emma's gaze, sliding his arms around her waist as they beamed at their goldfish like proud parents.

"It's perfect, Emma." He grinned, looking at the goldfish as he swam cluelessly around the bowl. "Welcome to the family, Wilma."

***

An hour later, after they had eaten dinner and released Wilma into the freedom of his bowl, Will and Emma sat on the couch as the smell of the cooling banana bread pleasantly filled the room.

At dinner, Emma had told Will of her volunteer job at the library, and Will had shared about his own day and his success with the groups, careful to leave out the part about Lilah assisting him.

With the dishes done and their bellies pleasantly full, Will and Emma had migrated into the living room. Will began to check Spanish worksheets, and Emma pulled out her unfinished romance novel as she lounged on the couch beside Will. Her feet rested contently in Will's lap, and he rubbed her legs absentmindedly as he graded the papers.

This was the part of their relationship that had worried Emma—the unconscious touching. But she found she enjoyed every contact her body made with Will's—a little too much, in fact. The delicious feel of his fingers against the smooth skin of her legs was quite distracting, and she couldn't seem to finish even a page of her book as she kept rereading the same paragraph over and over again without realizing it.

"Well, that's the last one," Will stated as he haphazardly shoved the graded papers into his brief case, turning to smile at Emma. Emma hastily placed the bookmark in her novel to save her page, and then placed the book neatly into her designated library book bag. She removed her gloves and disposed of them in the small trash can next to the coffee table. She returned Will's smile.

"You can keep reading," Will urged her, continuing to stoke her legs. He thought nothing of the action—Terri had loved it when he rubbed her feet and legs, so the unconscious habit had become second nature to him.

"No, no…it's fine. I just finished the last chapter," she lied. She had no interest in reading while Will was by her side.

Emma pulled her legs out of Will's lap and cautiously aligned her body so she could lean into Will's chest. Will smiled, eagerly wrapping his arms around her body as she relaxed into his embrace.

"I could get used to this," Will chuckled slightly, and Emma could feel his lips brush her hair.

_So could I, _Emma added to herself, an uncomfortable knot suddenly forming in her stomach. _Too used to it. _

She sighed, pulling abruptly away from Will's grasp.

Will immediately became alert, pulling himself up as he turned toward her. "Is everything okay, Emma?"

Emma sighed, unable to catch his gaze as she fiddled with the crystal bracelet on her wrist. "I don't know…"

"What is it? What's wrong, babe?" The words slipped from Will's mouth before he could think about what he had said. Emma almost began to cry from the tenderness of his words.

"This…" she fumbled for the right words. "It's just too perfect…these last few days, I mean. But Will, you're still married…" she trailed off, managing to catch his gaze.

Will sighed, biting his lower lip tentatively as he answered. "As soon as Terri told me about…the fake pregnancy, I viewed our marriage as over. I know it's not official yet, but really, Em, all we're waiting for is a piece of paper to legalize what I've already decided for myself. But I understand if it makes you uncomfortable. We can take a step back and keep things strictly platonic if that would make you feel better. And I could always move out and find my own place…"

"No, I don't want you to leave," Emma told him, almost too quickly. "But I do think we should take things slowly…at least until the divorce is official."

"I completely agree," Will told her, fighting the urge to wrap his arms around her to give her comfort.

"Thanks, Will," she mumbled, leaning into his arms nonetheless. She felt safe and protected against all the uncertainty that surrounded their budding relationship as she felt his arms tighten around her.

Will held her close, breathing in the fresh scent of her strawberry shampoo.

_For less than ideal circumstances, _he decided, _this feels pretty perfect. _

* * *

_A/N: Review if you love Wilma. *teehee* :P_

_Anyway, I need a name for Puck's little sister (for future chapters). I have the names Bethany (Beth), Hannah, Abigail (Abby), Evy, and Sarah picked out. Which one do you think would fit best with Noah? Or do you have a completely different name in mind? There's a poll on my profile as well that I would appreciate you guys voting on. _

_Oh, and there's a picture of Wilma on my profile. I just couldn't resist :P_


	14. Chapter XIV

It certainly wasn't the first time that Rachel Berry had invited Finn Hudson to her bedroom, but that didn't mean that it got easier each time.

Rachel shuffled around her room in a hurry, making sure things like her feminine products and panties were stashed away out of view. Finn sat awkwardly on her bed, neither of the two able to think of anything to say.

"So…when are Santana and Mike coming?" Finn finally broke the silence.

"Oh," Rachel mumbled, pushing the top drawer of her bureau closed. "They couldn't make it. Santana's throwing a party for all the girls who made the Cheerios, and Mike's leaving for a weekend trip tonight. So it's just us," Rachel added hesitantly, catching her image in the mirror across the room. Why did her hair have to look greasy today of all days?

"Oh," Finn simply said.

Rachel nodded, smoothing her hair as best as she could as she sat down on the bed beside him. "I was going to cancel when I heard they couldn't come," she lied, "but I thought it would be nice to get a head start. You can never be too prepared."

Finn nodded, cracking a small smile. Only Rachel would take this so seriously. "So have you picked a song?"

"Well," Rachel said proudly, pulling a sheet of paper out of the top drawer of her nightstand. "I have a list of my favorite Disney songs here. It didn't seem fair that I picked without consulting you guys first—we are a group after all. But I do know which one I would pick if I had the choice." She stopped to take a breath, looking at Finn expectantly.

"And that would be?" Finn prodded, knowing it was what Rachel wanted him to do.

"Beauty and the Beast," Rachel told him, gauging his reaction.

"I like that one—let's do it." He told her automatically. Finn knew that it would be pointless to argue with her, and further more, he wasn't very familiar with many Disney songs.

"Really?" Rachel asked, seeming surprised at how quickly he accepted her choice. "Do you think the others will be okay with it?"

"Well, they aren't here, are they? I say it's fair game for us to choose since they couldn't come. Like you said, it's good that we're getting a head start." Finn was beginning to feel more confident as he said the words. He had closed himself off for so long now that it felt great to talk to someone, especially Rachel Berry, who hung onto every word he said. It made him feel important and wanted, and he could not deny himself those feelings.

"Okay!" Rachel exclaimed, clapping her hands together, glad to be so on top of things. "I have the accompaniment music on my iPod. I have a few ideas about how we can go about this—do you want to sing along the first time on this one so I can see where your range is for this song?"

"Um, well," Finn mumbled, looking slightly embarrassed. "I don't really, um, know it that well. Like, I've heard of the song, but I don't know if I've actually even seen _Beauty and the Beast_. I don't really know the words. So maybe you could sing it first so I could, you know, hear it first." He glanced up at her, rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

Rachel couldn't help but to laugh at his adorable stuttering. "Are you sure you want to do this song then? Because we can do something that you're more comfortable with."

"Um, well, Rach, the truth is, I don't really know that many Disney songs. I know I must've seen some of the movies when I was a kid, but I don't really remember any of them." He watched as Rachel's expression twisted into one of shock.

"I am appalled! That's, like, an essential part of childhood. Scratch practicing the song for today! We're having a Disney movie marathon, starting with _Beauty and the Beast,_" Rachel informed him, taking his hand and dragging toward her spacious basement.

He found himself regretting when she let go of his hand to search for the movie. He plopped down on the couch as he waited patiently for her to find the movie.

"Here it is!" she announced, holding up a dusty VHS case. "Wow, I wonder if our VCR even works anymore…" she mumbled, placing the movie through the opening of the ancient VCR. She turned on the TV, pressed a few buttons, and a moment later, the picture appeared on the screen. Rachel beamed, proud at her success. She fell back onto the couch, aligning herself a safe distance from Finn. The two looked awkwardly at the space between them.

Neither spoke during the movie. Rachel was enthralled with the familiar childhood movie. Finn noticed her singly softly when each song played.

Finn hardly watched the movie at all. He was too busy watching Rachel.

As the credits rolled on, Rachel turned to look at him. "So what did you think?"

"It was pretty awesome," Finn told her, obligingly. Since when were her eyes so pretty? He hadn't noticed how the seemed to sparkle warmly in the dim lighting before. And her skin looked so smooth—he had a sudden urge to reach out and touch her face. "I can't believe what I missed out on."

Rachel could feel his eyes on her, and a blush rose to her tanned cheeks. "Yeah, um, they really are great. What do you say about watching another?" She added quickly, not ready to lose Finn just yet. She rose from the couch to search for another classic but was surprised when Finn reached out to grab her arm.

"Just wait," he whispered, keeping a firm grip on her hand as he pulled her back onto the couch with him.

"Finn…" Rachel mumbled, her eyebrows creasing as she dared to look up at him.

He reached out to touch her cheek softly. Rachel closed her eyes as his finger's gently caressed her cheek. She felt his face move closer to hers, his hot breath bouncing off her face. His lips softly brushed hers, and Rachel blanked out for a moment, consumed by the very taste of him.

He leant in to deepen the kiss, but Rachel pulled away, gasping, crying slightly, as she turned her head away from Finn's.

"Rach—I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking…" he mumbled, unsure of exactly what he had done to upset her. He licked his lips tentatively as he waited for her answer.

"No, don't apologize. It's my fault," she muttered, twisting her fingers together as she spoke. She remembered Steve's words from their father-daughter talk. "Finn, you know, I've been waiting for this moment for _so, so _long, but—I don't know how to explain this—I just don't want to be the rebound. I don't want you just to kiss me because it makes you forget about Quinn…I…I just don't think I could handle…this…" She couldn't believe she was saying the words. She had imagined being with Finn so many times, and now, when the moment arose, she was pushing him away. "I'm so sorry, Finn."

"No, you're right. It's not really fair of me…I'm just so confused right now. The whole thing with Quinn is just messing me up…I had convinced myself that I was gonna be a dad….and that I loved Quinn. You know, I was just dating her because I thought we were supposed to---y' know, the quarterback and the head cheerleader. And really, I just want to touch her boobs and stuff, but when she told me she was pregnant, I felt like I had to love her. So I convinced myself I did, but really, I just loved that baby that I thought was mine…" Finn quickly buried his face in his hands to try to prevent the tears from falling down his cheeks.

"Finn," Rachel whispered, lifting his chin and daring to wipe away his tears gently. "I'm sorry." It was all she could say; but it was enough.

"Rachel, I don't want you to be the rebound. I want you to be the real thing—the thing that Quinn could never be."

She laced her hands through his hair, burying her face in his neck. "I can be that," she promised feverishly. "I can be anything for you."

"You don't have to do that," Finn muttered, pulling her closer to his form. "You just have to be you."

***

"Whatcha doin'?" Quinn asked sweetly, leaning her head against Puck's shoulder as she glanced at the computer screen.

Puck jumped, startled by her sudden appearance. "Oh, um, I'm just looking up some stuff…" he quickly minimized the screen, flushing slightly. He turned to Quinn as he pulled her gently into his lap, wrapping his arms around her growing stomach. He brushed his lips against her temple.

"Are you trying to distract me?" Quinn muttered, delighting in the feel of his hands against her body. "Because it's not gonna work, mister. Let me see what you're looking at, or else I'm going to assume the worst."

"Fine," Puck muttered, shifting Quinn's body in lap so he could see the screen. He clicked to maximize the screen, revealing a website called "Parents Connect."

Quinn laughed, and Puck scowled. "I knew you'd laugh," he muttered, minimizing the screen once again.

"No, no, no! Put it back up!" Quinn begged. "I'm not laughing at you. I just found it...cute," she knew he wouldn't appreciate the word, but she used it nonetheless. She reached out to maximize the screen. "So what exactly about our baby are you looking up?"

"Um, well, I found this neat feature on the site where you can look at a 3D image of what your baby's supposed to look like—look here." He motioned toward the screen where a 3D animation of a baby in the womb rotated on the screen. "See—you can even see it at a bunch of angles. And down here, it tells what your baby and your body are going through at this week in your pregnancy. You're about fifteen weeks along, right?"

Quinn nodded, taking control of the mouse as she zoomed in and out of the image. Her hand moved to her stomach, resting on top of Puck's. She tried to imagine the actual baby inside of her. Her nose wrinkled. "It kind of looks like an alien."

Puck laughed. "I guess you're right—I'm actually surprised how much like an actual baby it looks like. I was kind of expected it to be more, you know, not human looking. But look, you see those little fingers and toes, and those little eyes…"

Quinn turned to look at Puck, her heart melting at this sensitive side she had hardly ever seen in him. "It says here that the baby is going to start moving around more." She pressed Puck's hand's tighter against her stomach. "I hope that I'm with you when she first kicks."

"Me too, babe," Puck told her, pressing his lips to her cheek.

"Ew!" The two jumped at the sound, breaking apart abruptly. They turned to see Puck's sister standing a few feet behind him. "Noah and Quinn, sitting in tree, K-I-S—"

"Abby, would you please go away," Puck interrupted, glaring significantly at his eight-year-old sister.

"Make me," she told him, sticking her tongue out at him as she approached the computer. "It's _my _house too, so you can't tell me where I have to go."

Quinn had still not gotten used to Abby. The idea of a little sister was foreign to her. She only had an older sister herself, who had practically ignored Quinn while she had lived at home. Though Abby was cute and Quinn knew she had the potential to be sweet, her constant bickering with Puck was really starting to get on her nerves, and she was glad that Abby didn't get home from school until an hour after her and Puck.

Puck rolled his eyes. "Abby, I'm gonna ask you nicely—"

"Ew, what is that you're looking at?!" Abby took a closer look at the screen, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Is that a _naked _baby? I'm telling Mom!"

She ran off before Puck or Quinn could say another word. They glanced at each other, unable to contain themselves as they broke out in laughter.

"Sorry about that," Puck apologized once his laughter had subsided.

"On the bright side, we have about thirty more seconds alone before your Mom comes down to see what all the commotion is about," Quinn reminded him, pecking him on the cheek.

"I'll take that," Puck muttered, kissing her softly as they made the best of the moment.

* * *

_A/N: Well, FINALLY some fluff for all you Finchel shippers! I can only hope I did the pair justice. I was planning on dragging it out a bit more, but the whole scene just kind of played out unexpectedly, and I'm liking how it turned out._

_This is turning out to be more of a Quinn/Puck story than I meant for it to be, but I just keep coming up with cute scenes for them that just fit in nicely each chapter. Oh, and there's some Wemma goodness planned for next chapter that I know you will all love!_

_Thanks to everyone who voted on Puck's sister's name. Abby just seemed to fit her best, so I went with it. And thanks to everyone who suggested songs! You should be seeing what the other groups picked within the next few chapters!_


	15. Chapter XV

"I thought you didn't eat meat." Will frowned as he entered the kitchen. Emma carefully placed a tray of lemon pepper chicken onto the table

"I don't—not typically at least. But there's this organic market I shop at that I really trust the quality and freshness of the meat, so sometimes I get chicken or turkey there. I never eat red meat or fish, though—I thought it'd be a nice treat. I can't imagine you actually enjoy living on my vegetarian diet," she informed him as the timer rang. She hurried to the oven to take out a loaf of freshly baked bread.

"You didn't have to do that," Will told her, but his stomach gave him away as it rumbled loudly at the savory scent of the chicken.

Emma cracked a smile as she placed the bread on the table next to the chicken and a dish of peas.

"So how was your day?" Emma asked Will as they sat down to eat. She watched as he ravenously dug into the chicken. She daintily took a bite of her hers.

It was simple question that Will had often answered with a curt "fine" when his wife had asked, but with Emma, he wanted to tell her everything. "Well, from what I saw of the kids in Spanish class today, they seem pretty excited about their songs. And Finn smiled for the first time in ages today."

"That's great!" Emma shared in Will's enthusiasm and quickly hid the melancholy feeling that filled her as she yet again realized how much she missed McKinley High. "I have been worried about them all…especially Rachel. She used to make fairly regular visits, and I feel so terrible that I left them so abruptly. It's never easy to get used to a new counselor, and I can only hope that…Lilah," she choked slightly over the name, "is someone they're warming up to."

Will chuckled darkly. "I can hardly imagine that she's easy to warm up to. Though she does seem insightful, which is a plus for being guidance counselor, I guess."

Emma shifted uncomfortably in seat, looking down at her chicken as she answered. "Is she still, you know, eating lunch with you?" She tried to sound nonchalant, but she failed miserably.

Will placed his fork down on the plate, answering carefully. "Yeah, most days I end up eating with Lilah. Even when I stay in my classroom, she seeks me out." He watched Emma's face carefully, noticing how she bit down on her lower lip to hold in a remark. "Em, please don't worry about it. I think she's just lonely—she probably just wants a friend. I just happen to be the unlucky one who ran into her first."

Emma's expression softened slightly, remembering why she adored Will so much. Hesitantly, she reached across the table to place her hand gently on her arm. "You're a good man, Will."

Will smiled, touched by her subtle gesture. Emma was hardly ever the one to initiate any form of physical contact, so Will relished the simple, yet heartfelt touch.

"So how was your day?" Will asked a moment later, finishing the last of his dinner. Emma placed another piece of chicken on his plate, and before he could protest, the savory scent hit his nose, and he couldn't help but to take a bite. Emma had been right; though he did not mind her vegetarian diet, he did find of himself missing the substantial protein he had grown accustomed to including in his diet over the years.

"I got an email from the library—I start volunteering this Wednesday," she told him as she took a small spoonful of peas to add to her plate.

"That's great—so are you looking forward to it?" Will asked her.

"Yes…and no," Emma admitted, taking the plates to the sink once they both had finished. "I do think it will be a nice opportunity, and I'm already looking forward to seeing Holly again. But it's, you know, a bit overwhelming to be doing this all…" she trailed off, finding Will's sympathetic smile.

"It will be fine, Em," he reassured her, pulling her into an embrace. She relaxed her muscles, leaning against his broad form. Safe in Will's arms, she believed his words.

"So what's on the agenda for tonight?" Will asked once the kitchen was restored to its immaculate condition.

"If you're expecting some exciting Friday night, then I'm sorry to disappoint you. I usually just read or watch a movie until I'm read for bed," Emma informed him as they headed into the living room.

"So what are you in the mood for tonight—book or movie?" Will asked her as he sat down on the couch. "Either is fine with me."

Emma joined him on the couch. She smoothed her skirt as she turned to Will. She honestly didn't care what they did either. She was content just to have Will by her side. "Movie," she decided. "Though I don't really have anything new—is that okay with you?"

"That's fine. I'm in the mood for an old classic anyway," he told her. "Let's see what you have."

Emma led Will to the television and opened up the cabinet beneath the TV station to reveal a shelf full of neatly organized DVDs. "Take your pick," she told Will as he knelt down beside her to scan the titles.

He was about to answer that he didn't mind which one they picked, when one of the films caught his eye. _My Fair Lady. _He carefully pulled the DVD from the rack, watching as Emma's face lit up from his choice.

"I haven't watched this in ages," Emma murmured, fondly remembering the dance the two had shared in the bridal shop a couple months before.

"Neither have I," Will told her as she placed the disc into the player.

The two settled comfortably on the couch as the movie began, a considerable space between them.

By the end of the movie, the effects of the long week were finally beginning to sink in. Will eyelids were beginning to droop, and Emma's head had long since fallen onto Will's shoulder, and she found herself dreading the fact that she needed to get up to turn off the TV as the credits rolled on.

"One more minute, and I'll get up," Emma murmured into Will shoulder as the credits dragged on. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she relaxed against his broad form.

"No rush," he muttered in reply. "We can share my bed tonight," he chuckled. He closed his eyes, drifting off.

It took Emma a moment to register his words; she found herself beginning to nod of as well. By the time she finally pulled herself off the couch, Will was completely conked out. She turned off the TV, too tired to restore the DVD to its proper home.

She looked at Will as he slept peacefully on the couch, his mouth hanging wide open as he began to snore softly. She smiled in spite of herself, and she could not contain the feeling of euphoria that coursed through her as she as it finally hit her that all she had ever imagined was finally coming true.

She pulled the blanket out of the laundry basket next to the couch where she had been storing Will's sheets during the day. Gently, she covered his sleeping form with the blanket, and before she could stop herself, she leant over to brush her lips softly against his forehead.

She was glad that she had taken her evening shower before Will had gotten home. She changed into her lavender night gown, the full onset of exhaustion finally settling in. As she crawled into her bed, pulling the fresh sheets tightly around her, she couldn't help but to miss the warmth of Will's body next to hers.

***

Will did not remember what he had been dreaming about, but he awoke from his pleasant slumber with a start as a shriek cut through the silence of the house.

When opened his eyes, the scream still rung in his ears, and it took him a moment to realize that the shriek had not stopped.

Emma.

Disoriented, he hurried down the hall, throwing open the door without a thought.

"Emma? Is everything okay?!" Will exclaimed as he rushed toward the bed. Emma sat at the top of the bed, her knees pulled tightly to her chest as she rocked back and forth, moaning and sobbing. She did not respond to Will's question.

"Em?" he sat down on the edge of her bed, reaching out to touch her arm softly. As his hand touched her arm, she let out another blood curdling scream. Will immediately retracted his arm, eyeing Emma with curiosity and concern.

It was then that he realized that she was still sleeping.

This time, he reached out to grab her by the shoulders, ignoring her shrieks and sobs. "Em, wake up. It's just a dream…come on, Em." He urged, shaking her slightly.

"Make them go away…please, just make them stop!" Emma sobbed, half conscious. "Please…"

Will pulled her sobbing form into his arms, stroking her hair as he whispered condolences into her ear, knowing that he was just going to have to ease her out of her nightmare as he waited for it to end. "It's okay, Em," he promised. "Shhh…"

Her screams and tears gradually ceased, and she buried her face into Will's chest, gulping in deep breaths of air. Her breathing settled a few moments later, and he tensed muscles relaxed fully in Will's embrace.

"You okay now?" he whispered, his lips lightly touching her ear.

His words seemed to pull Emma into full consciousness. She jerked her head up, abruptly pulling away from Will's grasp. She stumbled backward as she stepped off the bed, and Will caught her gently in his own arms.

"Oh, my…I didn't…Will…" Emma stumbled over the words, disoriented, confused, and embarrassed.

"Em, just sit down; everything's okay," Will reassured her, pulling her back into his lap as he sat down on the bed.

"I'm so sorry," Emma muttered, letting herself relax in Will's arms once again.

"What are you sorry about?" he murmured into her hair.

"You didn't have to come in…" she trailed off, and despite the darkness, Will could tell she was blushing. "Night terrors aren't that uncommon for me," she grimaced.

"I don't mind coming in," he assured her. "I wanted to make sure you were okay…and would you like to talk about your nightmare?" Will offered.

"Oh, no, no, no," she told him. "It's really nothing, I promise. I don't even really remember what I was dreaming about…"

Will frowned, remembering her panicked words. He wondered what Emma could possibly be dreaming about that she wanted to go away so badly. But he tactfully dropped the topic.

Emma began to doze lightly in his arms as he rocked her back and forth. Gently, he placed her against her pillow, her eyelid fluttering as he moved her body.

"I'll see you in the morning," he promised, brushing her hair away from her eyes.

Emma's eyes widened in terror, and before she could consider her words, she blurted, "Please don't go!"

Will smiled in spite of himself, more than happy to comply to her wishes.

Emma shoved her hand over her mouth, her cheeks coloring once again from her outburst. "I mean, I—"

"Don't worry Emma, I'm fine staying," he cut her off as he crawled under the sheets beside her, pulling her into his embrace.

"We shouldn't be doing this," she murmured into his shoulder, feeling relieved and relaxed to have him by her side.

"Why not?" Will contradicted. "We're not going to _do _anything." This earned another blush from Emma. "Just think of it as an innocent slumber party."

Emma chuckled in spite of herself. "You know, the first and last slumber party I went to was when I was seven…I haven't been to any since," she told Will as she relaxed next to his from.

"Well it's about time you had another," Will murmured as his eyelids drooped once again.

Emma smiled, pushing away her thoughts as she relaxed into Will's embrace. She felt his hands stray to her back as he softly began to rub it.

"Mhmm," she muttered, a lovely drowsiness overcoming her. Any feelings of panic had long since fled.

She allowed her eyelids to flutter shut, no longer fighting the inevitable sleep. Her mind void of fear, she difted off, with only pleasant dreams to fill her mind.

* * *

_A/N: It's been too long since I've last updated--I realize that. So I'm going to try my best to update again this weekend to make up for it. _

_I hope you enjoyed the Wemma fluff. It was insanely fun to write :P_


	16. Chapter XVI

Emma's eyes fluttered open as the soft sunlight poured through the drapes. She sat up, feeling slightly disoriented, when she realized that Will still slept soundly beside her.

The memories of the night before flooded in, but Emma couldn't make herself regret what had taken place. In fact, she found herself dreading her usual morning routine and instead wishing she could spend the morning in bed with Will.

But the nagging in the back of her mind told her that it was shower time. She shifted her body, trying not to disturb Will, but before she could even maneuver herself out of the bed, Will awoke. He caught Emma's gaze, his lips curving into a heartwarming smile. "So how are you this morning?"

Emma crawled back into bed, ignoring the urge to shower. She mentally promised herself that there would be plenty of time for that later. She settled into Will's arms, resting her head in the crook of his neck.

"I'm feeling better this morning," she told him. "And I am sorry—about the scare I gave you last night. I never really thought about, you know, my night terrors being a problem…" she trailed off, sucking on her bottom lip as she waited for him to answer.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Will reassured her. "Everyone has night terrors—I guess. I mean, I remember having them back when I was a kid."

"Yes, they're more common in children," Emma informed him, and Will could tell she was well educated on the matter. "People usually grow out of them by about the time they're six or seven…but…" she trailed off once again as she recalled the terrible memory that had turned her world upside down.

Will pulled her body closer to his, hating to see her so distraught. "Do you want to talk about it?" he offered, wanting her to know that he was here to listen to her as much as she was there to listen to him.

"Well, um, there's not much to say," Emma sighed. "I mean, I've told you about the run off lagoon incident, which is basically what triggered all of my…problems. I think I was always destined to be like this—maybe not as extreme as everything has turned out because of that, but I have always been a perfectionist, and even at a young age, I liked order and cleanliness. I think those aspects of my personality were just heightened after the incident."

Emma took in a deep breath as she continued. "The night terrors were the worst in the beginning. My parents found themselves rushing to my room twice a week—sometimes even more—to calm me down because I was screaming so terribly. But over the years, as I've grown more accustomed to dealing with my problem, they're gotten more scarce."

Will was silent for a moment. He could feel Emma's heart fluttering like a trapped butterfly. "So what do you…see in these in these night terrors that make you so upset. And don't answer if you don't feel comfortable sharing," he quickly added, hoping that he had not caused her to become more upset.

"You'll probably laugh at me," Emma murmured, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Mostly it's just stupid things, like rats or spiders or snakes covering every inch of my room—and sometimes they crawl on me." She shuttered as she said the words.

"That's not stupid—I'd be frightened as well," he assured her, beginning to stroke her hair.

"Well, I guess those ones aren't so dumb—that's what most people dream about during a night terror. But this is the stupid part—sometimes I dream about germs. I know people can't see germs, but I swear I can. And it's not even in these night terrors—it's when I'm awake too. It's like when I look at something, I see a thin film on it, even when to someone else it appears to be perfectly clean. And I really can't explain it, but it's like I'm actually seeing the bacteria on it—the dirtier it is, the darker the film is…" she helplessly searched for the right words, certain that Will would think her to be ridiculous as soon as she said them.

"Oh, Em," Will soothed, lifting her chin to he could see her eyes. "I'd never think that was stupid. Just because I don't completely understand doesn't make it dumb." He had never realized how much Emma suffered on a daily basis, and it only made him want to do everything in his power to make things better for her.

"Thanks, Will," she whispered. "You know, I do better when you're around. For instance, it's been," she stopped to glance at the clock on her nightstand, "about fifteen minutes since I've woken up and I have yet to shower."

Will chuckled. "Would you like me to release you now? Or can you bear to spend a bit longer in my arms before you hurry off to shower?"

"I think I can manage to snuggle with you for a bit longer," Emma smiled, reaching out to run her fingers through Will's hair.

"In that case, I'll keep you here all day," Will joked, tightening his grasp around her form.

Emma laughed, and for a moment, they relished the comfortable silence.

It was Will who finally broke it, as he spoke, "So what do you usually do on Saturdays?"

"Saturday is cleaning day," Emma informed him.

"Isn't _everyday_ cleaning day?"Will teased her.

"Well, if you look at it that way, I suppose. But every weekend, I like to do a bigger cleaning project that I can't do thoroughly during the week. Today's the refrigerator."

Will chuckled, letting go of Emma's body. The two climbed out of bed, awkwardly glancing toward the one bathroom of apartment. Usually, Emma would wake up before Will and would be completely done with the bathroom before Will needed it.

"Um, you can go first in the bathroom," Emma offered courteously, rubbing the material of her nightgown between her fingers.

"Oh, no, Em," Will encouraged automatically, "you go first. I was planning to go for a run this morning if you don't mind. I haven't had a chance to work out all week."

"Oh, well, in that case…thanks, Will," she mumbled awkwardly. "Um, have a nice run."

Will chuckled as Emma turned down the hallway to go to the bathroom. "I'll be back in about an hour," he told her.

"Oh, you can use my bedroom to change since I'll be in the bathroom," Emma informed him.

"Thanks, Em," Will told her, smiling as she disappeared behind the bathroom door.

***

An hour later, Emma was freshly showered and well into her fridge cleaning project. It was hard for people to understand why she would shower before doing her chores, but to her, it was an unbearable feeling to put on fresh clothing without being properly clean.

For her cleaning projects, Emma put on a pair of jeans, one of the few pairs of pants she actually owned and a light blue fitted tee, with a matching blue head band to keep her ruby locks out of her eyes.

Despite the refrigerator's already immaculate condition, the process of cleaning it was not an easy one. Emma took out all the contents of the refrigerator and arranged them neatly on the kitchen table. She removed each shelf and placed them precariously against the sides of the cabinets, trying her best to keep them secure and steady. With a bucket of warm water, ammonia, and a pair of pink plastic gloves that reached her elbows, Emma was ready to complete the task to perfect.

As the front door clicked open, Emma had just restored the last of the food from the kitchen table back to its proper home. Will was dripping in sweat, despite the chilly November morning. He tactfully took of his worn sneakers and left them on the mat Emma had designated for shoes by the front door.

"Sorry, I'm a bit of a mess right now. I'll go shower immediately, and I'll throw my clothes into the wash so you don't have to wash them with yours," Will told her, hoping that he could spare her from any unnecessary stress.

Emma watched the sweat drip down his forehead and into the crevices of his face. Typically, even the thought of sweat made her want to gag, but she couldn't help bit to think how incredibly sexy he looked as he pulled of his sweat shirt to reveal a form fitting under armor shirt that accentuated his muscular physique. The glistening sweat that gleamed on his body only made him more appealing.

"Hey, look at that—you're wearing pants," Will's voice snapped Emma out of her ogling.

Emma blushed, catching Will's surprised expression. "I don't see why this is such a big deal…" she muttered, trailing off. She had to wonder if she looked stupid, and she decided that it was better that she usually stuck to skirts. Beside being so fashionable, Emma found skirts to be more comfortable to wear. Pants always seemed to rub and ride up in all the wrong places.

"I've just never seen you in anything but a skirt or a dress," Will defended himself. "I like them," he assured her, watching Emma's lips curve into a satisfied smile, and before he could comprehend his words, he blurted. "You have really nice legs."

Emma's face turned magenta, her eyes growing wide with surprise. She glanced down to look at her skinny legs. "Um, thanks…" she trailed off awkwardly, unsure of how to respond to his comment.

Will cursed himself for his careless words. "Not that you don't usually have nice legs, or anything. It's just, I really noticed them with your tight jeans—I'm just gonna stop now…" Will's face now matched the color of Emma's.

He hurried down the hall to the bathroom before either could say another word. Emma remained in the kitchen, unmoving, as she replayed the conversation in her mind.

Her lips broke into an involuntary smile.

Again, she looked down at her denim covered legs, and her smile only grew larger.

Will thought she was sexy.

Well, he hadn't said those exact words, but the meaning was implied.

And Emma could not stop grinning like a fool.

***

Will emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later, looking clean and groomed. Emma sat on the couch, cutting out coupons from a magazine.

"Do you want to come grocery shopping with me?" Emma asked as Will entered the room.

"Sure," Will agreed, seeing no better way to spend the afternoon that with Emma.

Emma stood from the couch, grabbing her jacket and purse from the hook near the front door. Will noticed she still wore her jeans, though she had changed into a white vee neck top with a subtle floral pattern etched in black and a simple bow that rested on the neck line. "Still wearing the pants then?" Will joked.

"Just for you," Emma grinned, tightening the muscles in her rear end as she strutted over toward the door to slip on a pair of black flats. "But you must promise you won't ogle too much."

Will laughed, glad that he had been forgiven for his slip up, and glad that things had not remained awkward between the two of them. "Let me hold that for you," Will offered, reaching out to hold her purse as she slipped her coat on.

"Thanks," she muttered, buttoning up her red trench coat.

When she had finished, he placed her purse back around her shoulder. His hand lingered near her neck, brushing her hair lightly away. Emma's eyes widened as his face neared her, breathing in his pleasant scent.

"Will," she whispered, her breath ricocheting off his face and hitting hers. He blinked, taking another moment to pull his face away.

"Sorry, Em," he muttered, unable to take his eyes away from hers.

Emma sighed, a melancholy feeling overcoming her all of a sudden. Their carelessness and eagerness from the beginning of the week now made it harder to abstain from temptation as they both realized that things, no matter how passionate the two felt, needed to be taken at a slow pace until the divorce was finalized. Even all the touches and caresses the two had recently shared needed to be kept to a minimal.

_Friends, _Emma reminded herself, despite the adoration she felt for Will that far surpassed friendship. _For now we need to focus on being just friends. _

But as the two left the apartment, they both wondered how long they could suppress the inevitable.

* * *

_A/N: A quick update for you guys, just like I promised. This chapter is WAYYY different than I planned it to be. In fact, Will and Emma were supposed to bump into Terri during their little shopping adventure, but each way I wrote the confrontation, it sounded incredibly lame and staged, so I gave up. _

_The action's coming soon. A few more chapters like this--setting up all the relationships and such, and then I promise you there are going to be some major twists. I'm trying to get this finished by the time Glee starts up again, so pester me when my updates begin to get scarce. I'm guessing this will end up being about 30 chapters or so, but of course, that's subject to change. _

_Thanks so much for the support guys!_


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